Rare Birds in Rhode Island
Our list for Rhode Island has 39 rare birds recorded regularly there: 7 residents, 2 summer visitors, 4 winter visitors, 20 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Rhode Island in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 39, most common first
Manx ShearwaterPuffinus puffinusPassage migrantRare30–38 cmRegularly Jun–Nov
Virginia RailRallus limicolaResidentRare20–27 cmRecorded all year
Lark SparrowChondestes grammacusScarceRare15–17 cmRegularly Sep
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiPassage migrantRare57–64 cmRegularly Dec
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusPassage migrantRare46–59 cmRegularly Nov–Dec
Cattle EgretArdea ibisPassage migrantRare46–56 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusWinter visitorRare58–85 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioWinter visitorRare16–25 cmRecorded all year
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusSummer visitorRare28–32 cmRegularly May–Oct
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusPassage migrantRare60–75 cmRegularly Dec
Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdiiPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantRare18–19 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaScarceRare16–22 cm
Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineusPassage migrantRare13–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusPassage migrantRare41–46 cmRegularly May–Nov
Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventrisPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaPassage migrantRare40–47 cmRegularly Jan
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusScarceRare25–30 cm
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusResidentRare27–30 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusScarceRare20–22 cm
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataWinter visitorRare66–84 cmRecorded all year
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorRare17–21 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
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