Rare Birds in Tennessee
Our list for Tennessee has 63 rare birds recorded regularly there: 9 residents, 8 summer visitors, 19 winter visitors, 23 passage migrants and 4 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Tennessee in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 63, most common first
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentRare66–84 cmRecorded all year
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusWinter visitorRare34–58 cmRecorded all year
Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusPassage migrantRare23–32 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanPassage migrantRare32–36 cmRegularly Jun–Dec
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorRare53–76 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorRare37–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorRare120–150 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorRare52–64 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusWinter visitorRare15–16 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaPassage migrantRare43–51 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Common TernSterna hirundoPassage migrantRare31–35 cmRegularly May–Oct
Mute SwanCygnus olorWinter visitorRare140–160 cmRecorded all year
Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventrisPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly May–Oct
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Jul–Sep
Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalisSummer visitorRare20–24 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphiaPassage migrantRare10–15 cmRegularly May–Oct
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusPassage migrantRare28–32 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Virginia RailRallus limicolaWinter visitorRare20–27 cmRegularly Sep–May
Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdiiPassage migrantRare14–17 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusPassage migrantRare58–85 cmRegularly Sep–May
Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolorPassage migrantRare22–24 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Red-throated LoonGavia stellataWinter visitorRare53–69 cmRegularly Nov–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