Rare Birds in West Virginia
Our list for West Virginia has 46 rare birds recorded regularly there: 16 residents, 8 summer visitors, 3 winter visitors, 15 passage migrants and 4 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in West Virginia in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 46, most common first
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusSummer visitorRare50–90 cmRegularly Mar–Nov
SanderlingCalidris albaResidentRare18–20 cmRegularly Sep
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusPassage migrantRare18–23 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Sandhill CraneAntigone canadensisResidentRare80–122 cmRegularly Jan–Sep
DickcisselSpiza americanaSummer visitorRare14–16 cmRegularly May–Oct
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentRare64–79 cmRegularly Feb
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly Nov
Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatusPassage migrantRare18–19 cmRegularly May
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusResidentRare58–85 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly May
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoSummer visitorRare30–32 cmRegularly Jan–Aug
Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinatorResidentRare139–157 cmRegularly Feb–Jun
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentRare58–65 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
WilletTringa semipalmataResidentRare33–41 cmRegularly Apr–May
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusScarceRare48–66 cm
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaResidentRare27–30 cmRegularly May–Sep
Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegenaResidentRare40–50 cmRegularly Feb
Common TernSterna hirundoPassage migrantRare31–35 cmRegularly May
Cattle EgretArdea ibisResidentRare46–56 cmRegularly Apr
Greylag GooseAnser anserScarceRare75–90 cm
Indian PeafowlPavo cristatusScarceRare86–230 cm
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