Birds of Histon
What has actually been seen around Histon: 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
- 105,764 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 14 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Histon
201 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Histon (Cambridgeshire) since 2010, across 105,764 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Blackbird.
Histon is a garden-bird place: 77% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
15 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel 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 October — about 2.2 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.
Cottenham, 4 km to the north, has a similar number of species on record (201 against 201). Birds logged far more often around Histon than there include Coal Tit and Waxwing.
Daylight runs from 16 h 47 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 Histon
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 6,680 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 5,508 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 5,215 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 4,828 |
| 5 | Great TitParus major | 4,066 |
| 6 | MagpiePica pica | 3,773 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 3,756 |
| 8 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 3,582 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 3,402 |
| 10 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 3,384 |
| 11 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 3,284 |
| 12 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 3,234 |
| 13 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 2,768 |
| 14 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 2,669 |
| 15 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 2,631 |
| 16 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 2,478 |
| 17 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 2,449 |
| 18 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 2,397 |
| 19 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 2,110 |
| 20 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 1,854 |
Records by month
What to put out in Histon
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
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 Histon?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Histon are Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Great Tit, based on 105,764 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Histon?
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 Histon?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in October. 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.