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 · Oct
Share of all bird records in Virginia in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 85, most common first
Piping PloverCharadrius melodusSummer visitorRare17–18 cmRegularly Mar–Dec
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorRare20–22 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusWinter visitorRare58–85 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantRare18–19 cmRegularly May–Oct
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosWinter visitorRare66–102 cmRegularly Sep–Mar
American AvocetRecurvirostra americanaSummer visitorRare43–51 cmRecorded all year
Red KnotCalidris canutusSummer visitorRare23–26 cmRegularly Apr–Jan
Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisPassage migrantRare18–20 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraSummer visitorRare15–17 cmRecorded all year
Painted BuntingPasserina cirisWinter visitorRare12–14 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisSummer visitorRare15–18 cmRegularly May–Nov
EiderSomateria mollissimaWinter visitorRare50–71 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorRare14–17 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Great ShearwaterArdenna gravisPassage migrantRare43–51 cmRegularly Jun–Oct
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboWinter visitorRare80–100 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusPassage migrantRare17–21 cmRegularly Jun–Jan
Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellusSummer visitorRare41–50 cmRecorded all year
Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolorPassage migrantRare22–24 cmRegularly May–Oct
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorRare52–60 cmRegularly Dec–Apr
Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorumSummer visitorRare13–17 cmRegularly May–Sep
Sandhill CraneAntigone canadensisWinter visitorRare80–122 cmRegularly Nov–Jun
Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphiaSummer visitorRare10–15 cmRegularly May–Oct
FulmarFulmarus glacialisPassage migrantRare45–50 cmRegularly 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