Birds of Dundee
What has actually been seen around Dundee: 155 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 155 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 19,454 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Carrion Crow
- Busiest month
- March
- Elevation
- 77 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.7 h / 6.8 h
What the records say about Dundee
155 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Dundee (Dundee City) since 2010, across 19,454 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Carrion Crow, European Herring Gull and Woodpigeon.
Dundee is a garden-bird place: 74% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
12 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 March and are lowest in December — about 2.7 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.
Newport-on-Tay, 4 km to the south-east, has more species on record (171 against 155). Birds logged far more often around Dundee than there include Nuthatch.
Daylight runs from 17 h 45 min at midsummer to 6 h 51 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:20 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Dundee
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,182 |
| 2 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 1,170 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,110 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 948 |
| 5 | MagpiePica pica | 919 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 914 |
| 7 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 871 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 868 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 669 |
| 10 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 665 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 651 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 576 |
| 13 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 547 |
| 14 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 431 |
| 15 | Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus | 389 |
| 16 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 382 |
| 17 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 379 |
| 18 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 329 |
| 19 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 308 |
| 20 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 276 |
Records by month
What to put out in Dundee
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Dundee City
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 Dundee?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Dundee are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie and Robin, based on 19,454 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Dundee?
155 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Dundee?
Observation records peak in March and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:20.
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.