Birds of Colinton
What has actually been seen around Colinton: 144 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 144 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 46,164 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 112 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Colinton
144 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Colinton (Edinburgh) since 2010, across 46,164 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Magpie and Blackbird.
Colinton 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. Woodpigeon, Magpie, Blackbird and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
13 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 April and are lowest in September — about 3.8 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.
Currie, 4 km to the west, has a similar number of species on record (142 against 144).
Daylight runs from 17 h 36 min at midsummer to 6 h 58 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:09 in mid-April and 4:26 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Colinton
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 2,590 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 2,242 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 2,194 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 2,086 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 2,011 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,921 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 1,868 |
| 8 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 1,450 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,442 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 1,408 |
| 11 | Great TitParus major | 1,390 |
| 12 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 1,214 |
| 13 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,117 |
| 14 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 1,072 |
| 15 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 1,070 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,052 |
| 17 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 1,046 |
| 18 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 974 |
| 19 | BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula | 902 |
| 20 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 895 |
Records by month
What to put out in Colinton
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Edinburgh
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 Colinton?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Colinton are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Blackbird, Robin and Carrion Crow, based on 46,164 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Colinton?
144 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Colinton?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:26.
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.