Birds of Gloucester
What has actually been seen around Gloucester: 163 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 163 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 10,237 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- December
- Elevation
- 24 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Gloucester
163 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Gloucester (Gloucestershire) since 2010, across 10,237 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Magpie and Robin.
Gloucester is a garden-bird place: 71% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Magpie, Robin and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
12 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 December and are lowest in September — about 8.4 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.
Twigworth, 4 km to the north, has a similar number of species on record (164 against 163).
Daylight runs from 16 h 43 min at midsummer to 7 h 46 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:48 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Gloucester
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 609 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 525 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 481 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 444 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 401 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 378 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 331 |
| 8 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 313 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 308 |
| 10 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 281 |
| 11 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 252 |
| 12 | SwiftApus apus | 225 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 225 |
| 14 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 212 |
| 15 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 208 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 196 |
| 17 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 195 |
| 18 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 194 |
| 19 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 180 |
| 20 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 174 |
Records by month
What to put out in Gloucester
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Gloucestershire
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 Gloucester?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Gloucester are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Robin, Blackbird and Blue Tit, based on 10,237 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Gloucester?
163 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Gloucester?
Observation records peak in December and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:48.
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.