Birds of Giffnock
What has actually been seen around Giffnock: 123 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 123 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 24,237 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 45 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Giffnock
123 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Giffnock (East Renfrewshire) since 2010, across 24,237 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Woodpigeon and Robin.
Giffnock is a garden-bird place: 76% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Woodpigeon, Robin and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
6 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Tawny Owl. 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 April and are lowest in September — 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.
Waterfoot, 4 km to the south, has fewer species on record (107 against 123). Birds logged far more often around Giffnock than there include Eurasian Coot, Redwing, Bank Swallow and Tawny Owl.
Daylight runs from 17 h 34 min at midsummer to 6 h 60 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:31 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Giffnock
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 1,547 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,336 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,269 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,238 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,095 |
| 6 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 1,057 |
| 7 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 1,009 |
| 8 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,005 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 908 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 898 |
| 11 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 819 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 812 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 695 |
| 14 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 552 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 522 |
| 16 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 516 |
| 17 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 505 |
| 18 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 497 |
| 19 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 487 |
| 20 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 478 |
Records by month
What to put out in Giffnock
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for East Renfrewshire
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 Giffnock?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Giffnock are Magpie, Woodpigeon, Robin, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit, based on 24,237 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Giffnock?
123 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Giffnock?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:31.
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.