Birds of Ilkley
What has actually been seen around Ilkley: 135 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 135 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 21,172 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 102 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.1 h / 7.4 h
What the records say about Ilkley
135 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Ilkley (Bradford) since 2010, across 21,172 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Blackbird.
Ilkley is a garden-bird place: 70% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blackbird and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
13 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in May and are lowest in August — about 6.3 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.
Burley in Wharfedale, 5 km to the east, has more species on record (156 against 135).
Daylight runs from 17 h 8 min at midsummer to 7 h 23 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:08 in mid-April and 4:34 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Ilkley
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 930 |
| 2 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 843 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 840 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 803 |
| 5 | MagpiePica pica | 756 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 722 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 663 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 575 |
| 9 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 524 |
| 10 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 514 |
| 11 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 486 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 485 |
| 13 | Great TitParus major | 483 |
| 14 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 477 |
| 15 | Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquata | 454 |
| 16 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 427 |
| 17 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 414 |
| 18 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 403 |
| 19 | Willow GrouseLagopus lagopus | 397 |
| 20 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 367 |
Records by month
What to put out in Ilkley
Seasonal bird notes for Bradford
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 Ilkley?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Ilkley are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Magpie, based on 21,172 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Ilkley?
135 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Ilkley?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:34.
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.