Rare Birds in Virginia
Our list for Virginia has 85 rare birds recorded regularly there: 9 residents, 16 summer visitors, 26 winter visitors, 28 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Virginia in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 85, most common first
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorRare53–76 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaWinter visitorRare40–50 cmRecorded all year
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorRare40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Feb
Cattle EgretArdea ibisSummer visitorRare46–56 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmusSummer visitorRare28–32 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Atlantic PuffinFratercula arcticaPassage migrantRare28–34 cmRegularly Mar
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Aug–Nov
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriWinter visitorRare14–17 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusPassage migrantRare18–23 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinatorWinter visitorRare139–157 cmRecorded all year
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorRare34–43 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaWinter visitorRare16–22 cmRegularly Nov–May
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentRare66–84 cmRecorded all year
Virginia RailRallus limicolaResidentRare20–27 cmRecorded all year
DickcisselSpiza americanaSummer visitorRare14–16 cmRegularly May–Feb
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentRare30–32 cmRecorded all year
Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineusSummer visitorRare13–17 cmRegularly Sep–Jul
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaSummer visitorRare33–42 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiWinter visitorRare57–64 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorRare64–81 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Little AukAlle allePassage migrantRare18–21 cmRegularly Jan–Mar
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorRare42–51 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