Rare Birds in United States
Our list for United States has 103 rare birds recorded regularly there: 39 residents, 30 summer visitors, 23 winter visitors, 9 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in United States in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 103, most common first
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosResidentRare66–102 cmRecorded all year
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorRare33–39 cmRegularly May–Sep
Pacific LoonGavia pacificaResidentRare58–74 cmRecorded all year
Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphiaSummer visitorRare10–15 cmRegularly May–Oct
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorRare34–43 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisResidentRare36–41 cmRecorded all year
Sabine's GullXema sabiniSummer visitorRare27–33 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiWinter visitorRare57–64 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusSummer visitorRare28–32 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Mar–Nov
Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellusResidentRare41–50 cmRecorded all year
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusSummer visitorRare41–46 cmRegularly May–Feb
Red-naped SapsuckerSphyrapicus nuchalisResidentRare19–21 cmRecorded all year
Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventrisSummer visitorRare13–15 cmRegularly May–Oct
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusWinter visitorRare52–71 cmRegularly Nov–Jun
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboWinter visitorRare80–100 cmRecorded all year
Upland SandpiperBartramia longicaudaSummer visitorRare28–32 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisSummer visitorRare15–18 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
RazorbillAlca tordaWinter visitorRare38–43 cmRegularly Nov–Jul
Great ShearwaterArdenna gravisPassage migrantRare43–51 cmRegularly Jun–Nov
Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinusSummer visitorRare46–51 cmRegularly Apr–Feb
Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiacaResidentRare63–73 cmRecorded all year
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusResidentRare15–16 cmRecorded all year
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