Birds of Thaxted
What has actually been seen around Thaxted: 78 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 78 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 1,529 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 86 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Thaxted
78 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Thaxted (Essex) since 2010, across 1,529 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit and Blackbird.
Thaxted is a garden-bird place: 82% 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 Great Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
6 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Red Kite. 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 May and are lowest in January — about 491.0 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.
Great Sampford, 5 km to the north-east, has a similar number of species on record (78 against 78). Birds logged far more often around Thaxted than there include Rock Pigeon.
Daylight runs from 16 h 44 min at midsummer to 7 h 45 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:03 in mid-April and 4:38 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Thaxted
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 77 |
| 2 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 70 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 69 |
| 4 | Great TitParus major | 65 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 64 |
| 6 | MagpiePica pica | 64 |
| 7 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 60 |
| 8 | SwiftApus apus | 56 |
| 9 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 48 |
| 10 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 46 |
| 11 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 46 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 44 |
| 13 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 43 |
| 14 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 41 |
| 15 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 40 |
| 16 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 38 |
| 17 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 37 |
| 18 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 35 |
| 19 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 34 |
| 20 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 34 |
Records by month
What to put out in Thaxted
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
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 Thaxted?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Thaxted are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Great Tit and Robin, based on 1,529 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Thaxted?
78 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Thaxted?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in January. Sunrise in late June is around 4:38.
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.