South Korea bird checklist
535 bird species in 80 families have been recorded in South Korea, according to eBird; about 345 of them are seen regularly, and the rest are rarities, vagrants and escaped or introduced birds. Download the full list as a PDF, or tick birds off on your phone, with counts and notes, even without signal.
Species data: eBird.org, updated · How these lists are made
The most common birds in South Korea right now
1Dunlin
2Black-bellied Plover
3Common Greenshank
4Sanderling
5Eurasian Tree Sparrow
6Great Egret
7Eurasian Spoonbill
8Red-necked Stint
9Terek Sandpiper
10Great Knot
South Korea bird checklist
535 species · loading the checklist tools…
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
- Bar-headed Goose
- Emperor Goose
- Snow Goose
- Graylag Goose
- Swan Goose
- Greater White-fronted Goose
- Lesser White-fronted Goose
- Taiga Bean-Goose
- Tundra Bean-Goose
- Brant
- Cackling Goose
- Red-breasted Goose
- Mute Swan
- Black Swan
- Tundra Swan
- Whooper Swan
- Ruddy Shelduck
- Common Shelduck
- Crested Shelduck
- Muscovy Duck
- Cotton Pygmy-Goose
- Mandarin Duck
- Baikal Teal
- Garganey
- Northern Shoveler
- Gadwall
- Falcated Duck
- Eurasian Wigeon
- American Wigeon
- Eastern Spot-billed Duck
- Mallard
- Northern Pintail
- Green-winged Teal
- Red-crested Pochard
- Canvasback
- Common Pochard
- Ring-necked Duck
- Ferruginous Duck
- Baer's Pochard
- Tufted Duck
- Greater Scaup
- Lesser Scaup
- Harlequin Duck
- Surf Scoter
- Velvet Scoter
- Stejneger's Scoter
- Black Scoter
- Long-tailed Duck
- Bufflehead
- Common Goldeneye
- Smew
- Common Merganser
- Red-breasted Merganser
- Scaly-sided Merganser
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
- Hazel Grouse
- Golden Pheasant
- Ring-necked Pheasant
- Indian Peafowl
- Japanese Quail
Pigeons and Doves
- Rock Pigeon
- Hill Pigeon
- Black Wood-Pigeon
- Oriental Turtle-Dove
- Eurasian Collared-Dove
- Red Collared-Dove
- Spotted Dove
- White-bellied Green-Pigeon
Bustards
- Great Bustard
Cuckoos
- Lesser Coucal
- Chestnut-winged Cuckoo
- Asian Koel
- Large Hawk-Cuckoo
- Northern Hawk-Cuckoo
- Lesser Cuckoo
- Indian Cuckoo
- Common Cuckoo
- Oriental Cuckoo
Nightjars and Allies
- Gray Nightjar
Swifts
- White-throated Needletail
- Himalayan Swiftlet
- Common Swift
- Pacific Swift
- House Swift
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- Water Rail
- Brown-cheeked Rail
- Eurasian Moorhen
- Eurasian Coot
- Watercock
- White-breasted Waterhen
- Ruddy-breasted Crake
- Band-bellied Crake
- Baillon's Crake
Cranes
- Siberian Crane
- Sandhill Crane
- White-naped Crane
- Demoiselle Crane
- Red-crowned Crane
- Common Crane
- Hooded Crane
Stilts and Avocets
- Black-winged Stilt
- Pied Avocet
Oystercatchers
- Eurasian Oystercatcher
Plovers and Lapwings
- Black-bellied Plover
- Pacific Golden-Plover
- Common Ringed Plover
- Little Ringed Plover
- Long-billed Plover
- Northern Lapwing
- Gray-headed Lapwing
- Oriental Plover
- Siberian Sand-Plover
- Tibetan Sand-Plover
- Greater Sand-Plover
- Kentish Plover
- White-faced Plover
Painted-Snipes
- Greater Painted-Snipe
Jacanas
- Pheasant-tailed Jacana
Sandpipers and Allies
- Eurasian Whimbrel
- Little Curlew
- Far Eastern Curlew
- Eurasian Curlew
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Black-tailed Godwit
- Asian Dowitcher
- Long-billed Dowitcher
- Eurasian Woodcock
- Solitary Snipe
- Swinhoe's Snipe
- Pin-tailed Snipe
- Latham's Snipe
- Common Snipe
- Red Phalarope
- Red-necked Phalarope
- Terek Sandpiper
- Common Sandpiper
- Green Sandpiper
- Gray-tailed Tattler
- Marsh Sandpiper
- Wood Sandpiper
- Common Redshank
- Nordmann's Greenshank
- Spotted Redshank
- Common Greenshank
- Greater Yellowlegs
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Great Knot
- Red Knot
- Ruff
- Broad-billed Sandpiper
- Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
- Curlew Sandpiper
- Temminck's Stint
- Long-toed Stint
- Red-necked Stint
- Spoon-billed Sandpiper
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper
- Sanderling
- Dunlin
- Little Stint
- Pectoral Sandpiper
Buttonquail
- Yellow-legged Buttonquail
Pratincoles and Coursers
- Oriental Pratincole
Skuas and Jaegers
- Long-tailed Jaeger
- Parasitic Jaeger
- Pomarine Jaeger
- South Polar Skua
Auks, Murres, and Puffins
- Rhinoceros Auklet
- Least Auklet
- Long-billed Murrelet
- Spectacled Guillemot
- Thick-billed Murre
- Common Murre
- Ancient Murrelet
- Japanese Murrelet
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Black-legged Kittiwake
- Saunders's Gull
- Black-headed Gull
- Brown-headed Gull
- Pallas's Gull
- Relict Gull
- Black-tailed Gull
- Common Gull
- Ring-billed Gull
- Western Gull
- American Herring Gull
- Vega Gull
- Mongolian Gull
- Glaucous Gull
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Glaucous-winged Gull
- Slaty-backed Gull
- Iceland Gull
- Aleutian Tern
- Bridled Tern
- Little Tern
- Gull-billed Tern
- Caspian Tern
- Whiskered Tern
- White-winged Tern
- Arctic Tern
- Common Tern
- Great Crested Tern
- Chinese Crested Tern
Grebes
- Little Grebe
- Horned Grebe
- Red-necked Grebe
- Great Crested Grebe
- Eared Grebe
Loons
- Red-throated Loon
- Arctic Loon
- Pacific Loon
- Yellow-billed Loon
Albatrosses
- Black-footed Albatross
Northern Storm-Petrels
- Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel
Shearwaters and Petrels
- Bonin Petrel
- Streaked Shearwater
- Flesh-footed Shearwater
- Short-tailed Shearwater
Storks
- Black Stork
- Oriental Stork
Frigatebirds
- Lesser Frigatebird
Boobies and Gannets
- Brown Booby
Cormorants and Shags
- Pelagic Cormorant
- Great Cormorant
- Japanese Cormorant
Ibises and Spoonbills
- Glossy Ibis
- Crested Ibis
- Eurasian Spoonbill
- Black-faced Spoonbill
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Eurasian Bittern
- Black Bittern
- Cinnamon Bittern
- Schrenck's Bittern
- Yellow Bittern
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Japanese Night Heron
- Pacific Reef-Heron
- Chinese Egret
- Little Egret
- Little Heron
- Chinese Pond-Heron
- Eastern Cattle-Egret
- Great Egret
- Medium Egret
- Gray Heron
- Purple Heron
Osprey
- Osprey
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- Black-winged Kite
- Bearded Vulture
- Oriental Honey-buzzard
- Cinereous Vulture
- Crested Serpent-Eagle
- Greater Spotted Eagle
- Steppe Eagle
- Imperial Eagle
- Golden Eagle
- Besra
- Japanese Sparrowhawk
- Chinese Sparrowhawk
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk
- Eurasian Goshawk
- Eastern Marsh Harrier
- Hen Harrier
- Pied Harrier
- Black Kite
- White-tailed Eagle
- Steller's Sea-Eagle
- Gray-faced Buzzard
- Rough-legged Hawk
- Upland Buzzard
- Eastern Buzzard
Owls
- Japanese Scops-Owl
- Oriental Scops-Owl
- Eurasian Eagle-Owl
- Little Owl
- Himalayan Owl
- Ural Owl
- Long-eared Owl
- Short-eared Owl
- Northern Boobook
Hoopoes
- Common Hoopoe
Kingfishers
- Common Kingfisher
- Ruddy Kingfisher
- Black-capped Kingfisher
- Crested Kingfisher
Rollers
- Dollarbird
Woodpeckers
- Eurasian Wryneck
- Gray-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
- Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker
- Rufous-bellied Woodpecker
- White-backed Woodpecker
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
- Gray-headed Woodpecker
- White-bellied Woodpecker
- Black Woodpecker
Falcons and Caracaras
- Eurasian Kestrel
- Amur Falcon
- Merlin
- Eurasian Hobby
- Saker Falcon
- Peregrine Falcon
Old World Parrots
- Rosy-faced Lovebird
Pittas
- Blue-winged Pitta
- Fairy Pitta
Cuckooshrikes
- Ryukyu Minivet
- Ashy Minivet
- Brown-rumped Minivet
- Black-winged Cuckooshrike
Old World Orioles
- Black-naped Oriole
Drongos
- Black Drongo
- Ashy Drongo
- Crow-billed Drongo
- Hair-crested Drongo
Monarch Flycatchers
- Black Paradise-Flycatcher
- Amur Paradise-Flycatcher
Shrikes
- Tiger Shrike
- Bull-headed Shrike
- Red-backed Shrike
- Red-tailed Shrike
- Isabelline Shrike
- Brown Shrike
- Long-tailed Shrike
- Gray-backed Shrike
- Northern Shrike
- Chinese Gray Shrike
Crows, Jays, and Magpies
- Eurasian Jay
- Azure-winged Magpie
- Oriental Magpie
- Northern Nutcracker
- Daurian Jackdaw
- House Crow
- Rook
- Carrion Crow
- Large-billed Crow
Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice
- Coal Tit
- Yellow-bellied Tit
- Varied Tit
- Marsh Tit
- Willow Tit
- Asian Tit
Penduline-Tits
- Chinese Penduline-Tit
Larks
- Eurasian Skylark
- Crested Lark
- Horned Lark
- Mongolian Short-toed Lark
- Mongolian Lark
- Asian Short-toed Lark
Bearded Reedling
- Bearded Reedling
Cisticolas and Allies
- Zitting Cisticola
Reed Warblers and Allies
- Thick-billed Warbler
- Black-browed Reed Warbler
- Paddyfield Warbler
- Manchurian Reed Warbler
- Blyth's Reed Warbler
- Oriental Reed Warbler
Grassbirds and Allies
- Gray's Grasshopper Warbler
- Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler
- Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler
- Pleske's Grasshopper Warbler
- Lanceolated Warbler
- Chinese Bush Warbler
- Baikal Bush Warbler
Swallows
- Bank Swallow
- Eurasian Crag-Martin
- Barn Swallow
- Siberian House-Martin
- Asian House-Martin
- Eastern Red-rumped Swallow
Bulbuls
- Brown-eared Bulbul
- Black Bulbul
- Light-vented Bulbul
Leaf Warblers
- Wood Warbler
- Yellow-browed Warbler
- Hume's Warbler
- Chinese Leaf Warbler
- Pallas's Leaf Warbler
- Radde's Warbler
- Yellow-streaked Warbler
- Tickell's Leaf Warbler
- Dusky Warbler
- Buff-throated Warbler
- Willow Warbler
- Common Chiffchaff
- Eastern Crowned Warbler
- Gray-crowned Warbler
- Martens's Warbler
- Two-barred Warbler
- Pale-legged Leaf Warbler
- Sakhalin Leaf Warbler
- Japanese Leaf Warbler
- Arctic Warbler
- Kamchatka Leaf Warbler
- Sulphur-breasted Warbler
- Claudia's Leaf Warbler
Bush Warblers and Allies
- Asian Stubtail
- Japanese Bush Warbler
- Manchurian Bush Warbler
Long-tailed Tits
- Long-tailed Tit
- Silver-throated Tit
Sylviid Warblers and Allies
- Barred Warbler
- Lesser Whitethroat
Parrotbills
- Vinous-throated Parrotbill
White-eyes, Yuhinas, and Allies
- Chestnut-flanked White-eye
- Swinhoe's White-eye
- Warbling White-eye
Kinglets
- Goldcrest
Nuthatches
- Snowy-browed Nuthatch
- Eurasian Nuthatch
Treecreepers
- Eurasian Treecreeper
Wrens
- Eurasian Wren
Dippers
- Brown Dipper
Starlings
- European Starling
- Rosy Starling
- Daurian Starling
- Chestnut-cheeked Starling
- White-shouldered Starling
- Red-billed Starling
- White-cheeked Starling
- Common Myna
- Javan Myna
- Crested Myna
Thrushes and Allies
- White's Thrush
- Siberian Thrush
- Orange-headed Thrush
- Chinese Thrush
- Chinese Blackbird
- Redwing
- Gray-backed Thrush
- Japanese Thrush
- Pale Thrush
- Eyebrowed Thrush
- Brown-headed Thrush
- Fieldfare
- Black-throated Thrush
- Red-throated Thrush
- Dusky Thrush
- Naumann's Thrush
Old World Flycatchers
- Gray-streaked Flycatcher
- Dark-sided Flycatcher
- Ferruginous Flycatcher
- Asian Brown Flycatcher
- Brown-breasted Flycatcher
- Oriental Magpie-Robin
- Fujian Niltava
- Blue-and-white Flycatcher
- Zappey's Flycatcher
- Verditer Flycatcher
- European Robin
- Rufous-tailed Robin
- Japanese Robin
- Siberian Blue Robin
- Bluethroat
- Siberian Rubythroat
- Red-flanked Bluetail
- Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
- Green-backed Flycatcher
- Narcissus Flycatcher
- Mugimaki Flycatcher
- Taiga Flycatcher
- Red-breasted Flycatcher
- Plumbeous Redstart
- Common Redstart
- Black Redstart
- Daurian Redstart
- White-throated Rock-Thrush
- Blue Rock-Thrush
- Amur Stonechat
- Pied Bushchat
- Gray Bushchat
- Northern Wheatear
- Isabelline Wheatear
- Desert Wheatear
- Pied Wheatear
Waxwings
- Bohemian Waxwing
- Japanese Waxwing
Waxbills and Allies
- Scaly-breasted Munia
Accentors
- Alpine Accentor
- Siberian Accentor
- Japanese Accentor
Old World Sparrows
- House Sparrow
- Russet Sparrow
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Wagtails and Pipits
- Forest Wagtail
- Gray Wagtail
- Western Yellow Wagtail
- Eastern Yellow Wagtail
- Citrine Wagtail
- Japanese Wagtail
- White Wagtail
- Richard's Pipit
- Blyth's Pipit
- Meadow Pipit
- Rosy Pipit
- Tree Pipit
- Olive-backed Pipit
- Pechora Pipit
- Red-throated Pipit
- Water Pipit
- Siberian Pipit
Finches, Euphonias, and Allies
- Brambling
- Hawfinch
- Yellow-billed Grosbeak
- Japanese Grosbeak
- Common Rosefinch
- Long-tailed Rosefinch
- Pallas's Rosefinch
- Eurasian Bullfinch
- Asian Rosy-Finch
- Oriental Greenfinch
- Redpoll
- Red Crossbill
- Eurasian Siskin
Longspurs and Snow Buntings
- Lapland Longspur
- Snow Bunting
Old World Buntings
- Black-headed Bunting
- Chestnut-eared Bunting
- Meadow Bunting
- Pine Bunting
- Yellow-throated Bunting
- Ochre-rumped Bunting
- Pallas's Bunting
- Reed Bunting
- Yellow-breasted Bunting
- Little Bunting
- Rustic Bunting
- Yellow Bunting
- Black-faced Bunting
- Masked Bunting
- Chestnut Bunting
- Yellow-browed Bunting
- Tristram's Bunting
- Gray Bunting
New World Sparrows
- Golden-crowned Sparrow
- Savannah Sparrow
Troupials and Allies
- Great-tailed Grackle
Most common birds in South Korea
Ranked by how recently and how widely each was reported to eBird in the 30 days to 2026-10-13, and whether it is one of South Korea’s regular birds. The list follows the seasons: migrants rise in spring and autumn.
- DunlinCalidris alpina
- Black-bellied PloverPluvialis squatarola
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Great EgretArdea alba
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollis
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
- Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris
- Black-tailed GullLarus crassirostris
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus
- Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatus
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Large-billed CrowCorvus macrorhynchos
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Oriental MagpiePica serica
- Oriental Turtle-DoveStreptopelia orientalis
- Eastern Spot-billed DuckAnas zonorhyncha
Largest bird families in South Korea
Among its regular birds.
- Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl37
- Sandpipers and Allies36
- Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers18
- Old World Flycatchers17
- Hawks, Eagles, and Kites16
- Old World Buntings15
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns13
- Finches, Euphonias, and Allies12
Reported in the last 30 days
288 species reported to eBird in South Korea in the 30 days to 2026-10-13. The 40 most recently reported:
Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Brown-eared Bulbul, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Large-billed Crow, Oriental Magpie, Common Greenshank, Black-faced Spoonbill, Black-tailed Gull, Sanderling, Red-necked Stint, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Spoonbill, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plover, Great Knot, Great Egret, Terek Sandpiper, Far Eastern Curlew, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Asian Tit, Oriental Turtle-Dove, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Chinese Blackbird, Marsh Tit, Dusky Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, White Wagtail, Asian Brown Flycatcher, White-cheeked Starling, Warbling White-eye, Varied Tit, Amur Stonechat, Black-browed Reed Warbler, Pale Thrush, Black-faced Bunting, Osprey, Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler, Manchurian Bush Warbler, Light-vented Bulbul, Little Egret, …
Get to know some of them
White Wagtail
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Gadwall
Large-billed Crow
Eurasian Wigeon
Far Eastern Curlew
Gray Heron
Greater White-fronted Goose
Great Cormorant
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Little Egret
Barn Swallow
Rock Pigeon
Garganey
Bar-tailed Godwit