Rare Birds in Pennsylvania
Our list for Pennsylvania has 75 rare birds recorded regularly there: 8 residents, 13 summer visitors, 19 winter visitors, 31 passage migrants and 4 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Pennsylvania in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 75, most common first
Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallidaResidentRare13–15 cmRegularly Sep–Jul
Upland SandpiperBartramia longicaudaSummer visitorRare28–32 cmRegularly May–Sep
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresSummer visitorRare21–24 cmRegularly May–Sep
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Piping PloverCharadrius melodusSummer visitorRare17–18 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Mandarin DuckAix galericulataScarceRare41–49 cm
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Jul–Sep
Red KnotCalidris canutusPassage migrantRare23–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalisPassage migrantRare20–24 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
WilletTringa semipalmataSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolorPassage migrantRare22–24 cmRegularly May–Oct
Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaResidentRare40–50 cmRegularly Jun–Jul
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusScarceRare20–22 cm
Varied ThrushIxoreus naeviusScarceRare20–26 cm
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentRare37–41 cmRegularly Dec
Western MeadowlarkSturnella neglectaResidentRare16–26 cmRegularly Jun
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentRare75–90 cmRecorded all year
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly Nov–May
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorRare40–46 cmRegularly May–Sep
Black-necked GrebePodiceps nigricollisPassage migrantRare28–34 cmRegularly Nov–May
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaPassage migrantRare20–22 cmRegularly Nov–Dec
Swan GooseAnser cygnoidesWinter visitorRare81–94 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made