Birds of Cottenham
What has actually been seen around Cottenham: 201 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 201 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 118,230 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- July
- Elevation
- 13 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Cottenham
201 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Cottenham (Cambridgeshire) since 2010, across 118,230 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon and Jackdaw.
The records split between garden birds (55%) and waterbirds (37%), so a feeder in Cottenham sees the familiar Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Blackbird, while Lesser Black-backed Gull and others turn up on nearby water.
15 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Red Kite.
Records peak in July and are lowest in November — about 2.5 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.
Histon, 4 km to the south, has a similar number of species on record (201 against 201). Birds logged far more often around Cottenham than there include Northern Lapwing, Gadwall, Eurasian Teal and Northern Shoveler.
Daylight runs from 16 h 48 min at midsummer to 7 h 42 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:04 in mid-April and 4:37 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Cottenham
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 8,251 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 3,619 |
| 3 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 2,756 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 2,705 |
| 5 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 2,677 |
| 6 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 2,656 |
| 7 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 2,626 |
| 8 | MagpiePica pica | 2,585 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 2,558 |
| 10 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 2,502 |
| 11 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 2,389 |
| 12 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 2,336 |
| 13 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 2,322 |
| 14 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,958 |
| 15 | Northern LapwingVanellus vanellus | 1,868 |
| 16 | Great TitParus major | 1,835 |
| 17 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 1,832 |
| 18 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 1,810 |
| 19 | Eurasian CootFulica atra | 1,746 |
| 20 | Stock DoveColumba oenas | 1,743 |
Records by month
What to put out in Cottenham
Seasonal bird notes for Cambridgeshire
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 Cottenham?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Cottenham are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Starling and Robin, based on 118,230 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Cottenham?
201 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Cottenham?
Observation records peak in July and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:37.
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.