Birds of Hythe
What has actually been seen around Hythe: 166 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 166 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 6,620 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Mediterranean Gull
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 8 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Hythe
166 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Hythe (Kent) since 2010, across 6,620 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Mediterranean Gull, European Herring Gull and Woodpigeon.
Hythe 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, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Jackdaw 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 May and are lowest in February — about 2.4 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.
Lympne, 4 km to the west, has a similar number of species on record (168 against 166).
Daylight runs from 16 h 34 min at midsummer to 7 h 54 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:02 in mid-April and 4:40 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Hythe
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus | 754 |
| 2 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 422 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 287 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 271 |
| 5 | MagpiePica pica | 270 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 267 |
| 7 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 240 |
| 8 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 227 |
| 9 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 222 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 177 |
| 11 | Great TitParus major | 176 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 139 |
| 13 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 130 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 128 |
| 15 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 127 |
| 16 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 125 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 123 |
| 18 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 122 |
| 19 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 106 |
| 20 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 105 |
Records by month
What to put out in Hythe
Seasonal bird notes for Kent
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 Hythe?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Hythe are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Jackdaw and Robin, based on 6,620 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Hythe?
166 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Hythe?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in February. Sunrise in late June is around 4:40.
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.