Birds of Barking
What has actually been seen around Barking: 223 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 223 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 143,993 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Carrion Crow
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 6 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Barking
223 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Barking (Greater London) since 2010, across 143,993 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and Magpie.
Barking is a garden-bird place: 61% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Magpie and Starling make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Common Buzzard. 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 June — about 3.7 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.
Goodmayes, 4 km to the north-east, has fewer species on record (185 against 223). Birds logged far more often around Barking than there include Eurasian Skylark and European Stonechat.
Daylight runs from 16 h 39 min at midsummer to 7 h 49 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:41 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Barking
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 3,949 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 3,888 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 3,820 |
| 4 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 3,341 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 3,333 |
| 6 | Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri | 3,306 |
| 7 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 3,305 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 3,272 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 3,064 |
| 10 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 3,056 |
| 11 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 3,006 |
| 12 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 2,986 |
| 13 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 2,948 |
| 14 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 2,906 |
| 15 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 2,877 |
| 16 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 2,853 |
| 17 | Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca | 2,659 |
| 18 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 2,645 |
| 19 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 2,624 |
| 20 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 2,394 |
Records by month
What to put out in Barking
Seasonal bird notes for Greater London
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 Barking?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Barking are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Starling and Robin, based on 143,993 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Barking?
223 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Barking?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in June. Sunrise in late June is around 4:41.
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.