Birds of Bangor
What has actually been seen around Bangor: 132 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 132 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 37,059 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- House Sparrow
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 19 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.2 h
What the records say about Bangor
132 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Bangor (Ards and North Down) since 2010, across 37,059 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are House Sparrow, Starling and Robin.
Bangor is a garden-bird place: 88% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. House Sparrow, Starling, Robin and Rock Pigeon make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
6 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard and Eurasian Sparrowhawk. A hawk that hunts feeder birds is among them, so set feeders 2–3 metres from shrubs: close enough for cover, far enough that a cat can't ambush from it.
Records peak in May and are lowest in September — about 1.9 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and winter visitors), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.
Newtownards, 8 km to the south, has fewer species on record (118 against 132). Birds logged far more often around Bangor than there include House Sparrow, Rock Pigeon, Coal Tit and Black Guillemot.
Daylight runs from 17 h 18 min at midsummer to 7 h 14 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:22 in mid-April and 4:45 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Bangor
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 3,609 |
| 2 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 2,800 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 2,623 |
| 4 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 2,444 |
| 5 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 2,418 |
| 6 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,954 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,911 |
| 8 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,867 |
| 9 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 1,785 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 1,783 |
| 11 | MagpiePica pica | 1,392 |
| 12 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 1,363 |
| 13 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,245 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,085 |
| 15 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 1,032 |
| 16 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 999 |
| 17 | SwiftApus apus | 611 |
| 18 | BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula | 541 |
| 19 | Hooded CrowCorvus cornix | 496 |
| 20 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 345 |
Records by month
What to put out in Bangor
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Ards and North Down
What's arriving, what to feed and when to clean feeders, written for UK gardens. One email a month at most.
Nearby places
Frequently asked
What birds visit gardens in Bangor?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Bangor are House Sparrow, Starling, Robin, Rock Pigeon and Coal Tit, based on 37,059 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Bangor?
132 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Bangor?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:45.
Sources
- GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
- GeoNames gazetteer (place, population, elevation)
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.