The last seven days on iNaturalist, checked against five years

Rare Birds in Rhode Island This Week

Q: What rare birds are in Rhode Island this week?

The lists above, read live from iNaturalist: first the birds within 25 miles of Providence, 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 Rhode Island?

342 bird species in 32,455 confirmed iNaturalist sightings between 2021-10-09 and 2026-10-01. 72 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 Rhode Island?

Near Providence 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 Rhode Island.

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

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.

Rhode Island logged 32,455 confirmed bird sightings across 342 species on iNaturalist in five years, and 72 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings. The live list near Providence covers 25 miles around the city.

Near Providence

Rare birds near Providence this week

Every bird posted within 25 miles of Providence 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 Providence from iNaturalist.

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

Rhode Island birds on the record

iNaturalist, research grade

32,455

Confirmed bird sightings

research grade iNaturalist records, five years

342

Bird species on record

seen and confirmed in Rhode Island

Species seen 3 times or fewer

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

25 mi

Live circle

around Providence, or any ZIP you enter

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

Across Rhode Island

The whole state this week

Every bird reported anywhere in Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island from iNaturalist.

What turns up here

Rare birds on the Rhode Island record

342 bird species have confirmed iNaturalist records in Rhode Island over five years, and 72 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.

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

Rhode Island rare bird questions

What rare birds are in Rhode Island this week?

How many bird species are seen in Rhode Island?

What counts as rare in Rhode Island?

How do I see rare birds near me in Rhode Island?

Are needs ID sightings included?

More for Rhode Island birders

Rare birds near any ZIPEnter a ZIP for this week’s unusual birds around it.Rhode Island hummingbird migrationWhen they arrive and when they leave.Rhode Island snowy owlsWhere the winter irruptions reach.Rhode Island winter birdsWhat comes to the feeder when it snows.Rhode Island duck migrationWhen the ducks come through.

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.