Hertfordshire · 51.98°N

Birds of Letchworth Garden City

What has actually been seen around Letchworth Garden City: 152 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record
152 within 5 km
Observation records
124,821 since 2010
Most recorded bird
Woodpigeon
Busiest month
April
Elevation
84 m
Daylight, June / December
16.7 h / 7.7 h

What the records say about Letchworth Garden City

152 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Letchworth Garden City (Hertfordshire) since 2010, across 124,821 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Blackbird.

Letchworth Garden City is a garden-bird place: 87% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard 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 December — about 2.0 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.

Stotfold, 4 km to the north, has a similar number of species on record (152 against 152).

Daylight runs from 16 h 44 min at midsummer to 7 h 45 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:06 in mid-April and 4:40 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Letchworth Garden City

#BirdRecords
1WoodpigeonColumba palumbus7,531
2RobinErithacus rubecula6,730
3BlackbirdTurdus merula6,083
4JackdawColoeus monedula5,845
5StarlingSturnus vulgaris5,543
6GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis5,529
7Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus5,263
8House SparrowPasser domesticus5,071
9MagpiePica pica5,010
10Rock PigeonColumba livia4,888
11Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto4,830
12DunnockPrunella modularis4,244
13Carrion CrowCorvus corone4,193
14Great TitParus major3,695
15WrenTroglodytes troglodytes3,664
16RookCorvus frugilegus2,846
17GreenfinchChloris chloris2,524
18Stock DoveColumba oenas2,490
19SwiftApus apus2,249
20ChaffinchFringilla coelebs2,127

Records by month

What to put out in Letchworth Garden City

Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.

Seasonal bird notes for Hertfordshire

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 Letchworth Garden City?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Letchworth Garden City are Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Jackdaw and Starling, based on 124,821 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Letchworth Garden City?

152 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Letchworth Garden City?

Observation records peak in April and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:40.

Sources

  1. GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
  2. 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.