The last seven days on iNaturalist, checked against five years

Rare Birds in Minnesota This Week

Q: What rare birds are in Minnesota this week?

The lists above, read live from iNaturalist: first the birds within 25 miles of Minneapolis, then the whole state. Each species is checked against five years of confirmed sightings, and the most unusual come first.

Q: How many bird species are seen in Minnesota?

408 bird species in 189,742 confirmed iNaturalist sightings between 2021-10-09 and 2026-10-01. 37 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the state, so a new one of them is news.

Q: What counts as rare in Minnesota?

Near Minneapolis or your own ZIP, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings within 25 miles in five years, or one that is seen there but almost never in these weeks of the year. On the statewide list, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings anywhere in Minnesota.

Q: Who confirms rare bird records in Minnesota?

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee. From its page: “The Committee was formed in 1974 to handle an increasing number of rare and unusual records being submitted to Seasonal Report compilers.”

Q: How do I see rare birds near me in Minnesota?

Enter your ZIP on the rare bird alert for a list around your own spot, and check it each week in spring and fall migration, when most strays turn up. Each bird links to its iNaturalist species page with photographs and a range map.

Q: Are needs ID sightings included?

Yes, for this week only, because confirmation takes days and a rare bird may be gone by then. The five year record the week is checked against counts research grade sightings only.

Minnesota logged 189,742 confirmed bird sightings across 408 species on iNaturalist in five years, and 37 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings. The live list near Minneapolis covers 25 miles around the city. The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee reviews rare bird records here.

Near Minneapolis

Rare birds near Minneapolis this week

Every bird posted within 25 miles of Minneapolis in the last seven days, with the ones that are rare there, out of season or uncommon first and the reason for each.

Reading this week's bird sightings within 25 miles of Minneapolis from iNaturalist.

Somewhere else in Minnesota? Enter your ZIP for the circle around it.

Minnesota birds on the record

iNaturalist, research grade

189,742

Confirmed bird sightings

research grade iNaturalist records, five years

408

Bird species on record

seen and confirmed in Minnesota

Species seen 3 times or fewer

9 percent of the state list, the birds that make news

25 mi

Live circle

around Minneapolis, or any ZIP you enter

Counted from iNaturalist’s research grade bird records in Minnesota from October 9, 2021 to October 1, 2026, read October 9, 2026.

Across Minnesota

The whole state this week

Every bird reported anywhere in Minnesota in the last seven days, checked against the state’s own five year record: Rare here means 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the whole state.

Reading this week's bird sightings across Minnesota from iNaturalist.

What turns up here

Who confirms a rare bird in Minnesota

408 bird species have confirmed iNaturalist records in Minnesota over five years, and 37 of them were confirmed 3 times or fewer. A sighting of one of those is the kind a state records committee reviews before it joins the official list.

Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee

The committee reviews rare bird records in Minnesota.

“The Committee was formed in 1974 to handle an increasing number of rare and unusual records being submitted to Seasonal Report compilers.”

Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee, read October 9, 2026.

Nine birders and photographers on a wooden boardwalk over a marsh, with long lenses, a spotting scope and binoculars all pointed to the left, under spring trees — Birders and photographers setting up on an overlook. Word of an unusual bird travels this way: one person posts a photograph, and the people nearby go and look. “Birdwatchers stop to set up equipment at overlook”, Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain

Minnesota rare bird questions

What rare birds are in Minnesota this week?

How many bird species are seen in Minnesota?

What counts as rare in Minnesota?

Who confirms rare bird records in Minnesota?

How do I see rare birds near me in Minnesota?

Are needs ID sightings included?

More for Minnesota birders

Rare birds near any ZIPEnter a ZIP for this week’s unusual birds around it.Minnesota fall migrationWhen the big flights pass over.Minnesota hummingbird migrationWhen they arrive and when they leave.Minnesota eagle watchingWhere bald eagles gather in winter.Minnesota snowy owlsWhere the winter irruptions reach.Minnesota sandhill crane migrationWhere the cranes stage and when.

Rare birds in other states

Sightings and records from iNaturalist, read live for this week. The lists are built from counts per species, and each bird links to its species page. For your own spot, enter a ZIP on the rare bird alert.