Birds of Braintree
What has actually been seen around Braintree: 130 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 130 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 9,356 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- July
- Elevation
- 68 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Braintree
130 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Braintree (Essex) since 2010, across 9,356 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit and Blackbird.
Braintree is a garden-bird place: 75% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, 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, Red Kite and Common Kestrel. 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 July and are lowest in September — about 7.8 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.
Panfield, 3 km to the north-west, has a similar number of species on record (127 against 130).
Daylight runs from 16 h 43 min at midsummer to 7 h 46 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:03 in mid-April and 4:37 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Braintree
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 677 |
| 2 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 450 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 449 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 411 |
| 5 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 402 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 372 |
| 7 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 339 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 333 |
| 9 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 322 |
| 10 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 313 |
| 11 | SwiftApus apus | 301 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 259 |
| 13 | Great TitParus major | 251 |
| 14 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 246 |
| 15 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 240 |
| 16 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 229 |
| 17 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 188 |
| 18 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 173 |
| 19 | Common GullLarus canus | 159 |
| 20 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 152 |
Records by month
What to put out in Braintree
Seasonal bird notes for Essex
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 Braintree?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Braintree are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Magpie and Robin, based on 9,356 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Braintree?
130 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Braintree?
Observation records peak in July and are lowest in September. 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.