Birds of Swansea
What has actually been seen around Swansea: 195 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 195 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 46,065 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- March
- Elevation
- 18 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Swansea
195 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Swansea (City and County of Swansea) since 2010, across 46,065 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Robin and Blackbird.
Swansea is a garden-bird place: 71% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Robin, Blackbird and Woodpigeon make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
13 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard.
Records peak in March and are lowest in August — 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.
Dunvant, 6 km to the west, has more species on record (244 against 195). Birds logged far more often around Swansea than there include Eurasian Coot, White-throated Dipper, Common Merganser and Common Pochard.
Daylight runs from 16 h 40 min at midsummer to 7 h 49 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:21 in mid-April and 4:57 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Swansea
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 2,284 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 2,187 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 2,112 |
| 4 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 2,058 |
| 5 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 2,042 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,864 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,745 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 1,626 |
| 9 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 1,495 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,466 |
| 11 | Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus | 1,112 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,066 |
| 13 | Great TitParus major | 1,052 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,042 |
| 15 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 1,001 |
| 16 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 946 |
| 17 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 851 |
| 18 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 782 |
| 19 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 735 |
| 20 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 728 |
Records by month
What to put out in Swansea
Seasonal bird notes for City and County of Swansea
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 Swansea?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Swansea are Magpie, Robin, Blackbird, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow, based on 46,065 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Swansea?
195 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Swansea?
Observation records peak in March and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:57.
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.