Birds of Dunfermline
What has actually been seen around Dunfermline: 141 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 141 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 8,979 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Common Goldeneye
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 107 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 6.9 h
What the records say about Dunfermline
141 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Dunfermline (Fife) since 2010, across 8,979 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Common Goldeneye, Woodpigeon and Blackbird.
Dunfermline is a garden-bird place: 64% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 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 6.2 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.
Rosyth, 4 km to the south, has more species on record (164 against 141). Birds logged far more often around Dunfermline than there include Common Goldeneye and Whooper Swan.
Daylight runs from 17 h 39 min at midsummer to 6 h 56 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:10 in mid-April and 4:25 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Dunfermline
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula | 1,037 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 515 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 359 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 353 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 353 |
| 6 | MagpiePica pica | 328 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 267 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 256 |
| 9 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 254 |
| 10 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 224 |
| 11 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 220 |
| 12 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 199 |
| 13 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 196 |
| 14 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 194 |
| 15 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 184 |
| 16 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 173 |
| 17 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 155 |
| 18 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 153 |
| 19 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 132 |
| 20 | SwiftApus apus | 127 |
Records by month
What to put out in Dunfermline
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Fife
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 Dunfermline?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Dunfermline are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Carrion Crow and Magpie, based on 8,979 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Dunfermline?
141 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Dunfermline?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:25.
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.