Birds of Royal Tunbridge Wells
What has actually been seen around Royal Tunbridge Wells: 143 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 143 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 46,557 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 118 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Royal Tunbridge Wells
143 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells (Kent) since 2010, across 46,557 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Blackbird.
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a garden-bird place: 76% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
13 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 1.8 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.
Speldhurst, 4 km to the north-west, has a similar number of species on record (146 against 143). Birds logged far more often around Royal Tunbridge Wells than there include Egyptian Goose, Red-legged Partridge and Peregrine Falcon.
Daylight runs from 16 h 34 min at midsummer to 7 h 54 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:43 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Royal Tunbridge Wells
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,975 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,914 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,801 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,725 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,698 |
| 6 | MagpiePica pica | 1,649 |
| 7 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,623 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 1,331 |
| 9 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 1,321 |
| 10 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 1,226 |
| 11 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,196 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,181 |
| 13 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 1,132 |
| 14 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 1,116 |
| 15 | Graylag GooseAnser anser | 1,089 |
| 16 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 1,070 |
| 17 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 1,013 |
| 18 | Stock DoveColumba oenas | 980 |
| 19 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 966 |
| 20 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 935 |
Records by month
What to put out in Royal Tunbridge Wells
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
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 Royal Tunbridge Wells?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Royal Tunbridge Wells are Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit, based on 46,557 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Royal Tunbridge Wells?
143 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Royal Tunbridge Wells?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:43.
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.