Rare Birds in Texas
Our list for Texas has 66 rare birds recorded regularly there: 9 residents, 9 summer visitors, 25 winter visitors, 17 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Texas in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 66, most common first
Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrinaPassage migrantRare12–14 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Burrowing OwlAthene cuniculariaResidentRare19–25 cmRecorded all year
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly Apr–May
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusWinter visitorRare58–85 cmRegularly Aug–May
Red-naped SapsuckerSphyrapicus nuchalisWinter visitorRare19–21 cmRegularly Sep–Mar
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorRare39–56 cmRegularly Nov–Jun
Mountain BluebirdSialia currucoidesWinter visitorRare15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Virginia RailRallus limicolaWinter visitorRare20–27 cmRegularly Aug–May
Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarumWinter visitorRare12–14 cmRegularly Sep–May
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusResidentRare18–26 cmRecorded all year
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusSummer visitorRare48–66 cmRecorded all year
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusPassage migrantRare28–32 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusPassage migrantRare16–20 cmRegularly Apr–May
Elf OwlMicrathene whitneyiSummer visitorRare13–15 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorRare34–43 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Horned GrebePodiceps auritusWinter visitorRare31–38 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Red KnotCalidris canutusSummer visitorRare23–26 cmRecorded all year
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantRare18–19 cmRegularly May–Nov
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorRare58–68 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Sep–Nov
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorRare37–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Western Screech-owlMegascops kennicottiiSummer visitorRare19–25 cmRecorded all year
Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescensWinter visitorRare11–13 cmRegularly Sep–May
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