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 · Oct
Share of all bird records in United States in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 103, most common first
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusResidentRare58–85 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorRare42–51 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusResidentRare62–68 cmRecorded all year
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentRare37–41 cmRecorded all year
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorRare20–22 cmRegularly Nov–May
Black GuillemotCepphus grylleResidentRare30–32 cmRecorded all year
Burrowing OwlAthene cuniculariaResidentRare19–25 cmRecorded all year
Monk ParakeetMyiopsitta monachusResidentRare29–31 cmRecorded all year
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
White-headed WoodpeckerPicoides albolarvatusSummer visitorRare20–23 cmRecorded all year
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaSummer visitorRare33–42 cmRecorded all year
Red KnotCalidris canutusResidentRare23–26 cmRecorded all year
Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulusWinter visitorRare19–23 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulvaWinter visitorRare23–26 cmRecorded all year
FulmarFulmarus glacialisResidentRare45–50 cmRecorded all year
Lewis's WoodpeckerMelanerpes lewisResidentRare26–28 cmRecorded all year
Long-tailed JaegerStercorarius longicaudusSummer visitorRare48–58 cmRegularly May–Oct
Leach's Storm-petrelHydrobates leucorhousSummer visitorRare18–21 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Williamson's SapsuckerSphyrapicus thyroideusSummer visitorRare21–25 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanusResidentRare13–14 cmRecorded all year
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusResidentRare20–22 cmRecorded all year
Arizona WoodpeckerPicoides arizonaeResidentRare19–21 cmRecorded all year
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly May–Sep
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