Birds of Lisburn
What has actually been seen around Lisburn: 91 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 91 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 3,345 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Blackbird
- Busiest month
- January
- Elevation
- 53 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.3 h
What the records say about Lisburn
91 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Lisburn (Lisburn and Castlereagh) since 2010, across 3,345 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blackbird, Magpie and Woodpigeon.
Lisburn is a garden-bird place: 72% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Blackbird, Magpie, Woodpigeon and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
6 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Common Kestrel. 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 January and are lowest in August — 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.
Hillsborough, 7 km to the south, has a similar number of species on record (95 against 91). Birds logged far more often around Lisburn than there include Swift, Common Kingfisher and European Herring Gull.
Daylight runs from 17 h 16 min at midsummer to 7 h 16 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:24 in mid-April and 4:47 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Lisburn
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 208 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 191 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 184 |
| 4 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 159 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 159 |
| 6 | Hooded CrowCorvus cornix | 129 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 117 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 107 |
| 9 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 102 |
| 10 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 99 |
| 11 | SwiftApus apus | 97 |
| 12 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 90 |
| 13 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 90 |
| 14 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 85 |
| 15 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 83 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 80 |
| 17 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 75 |
| 18 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 74 |
| 19 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 69 |
| 20 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 69 |
Records by month
What to put out in Lisburn
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Lisburn and Castlereagh
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 Lisburn?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Lisburn are Blackbird, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Robin and Hooded Crow, based on 3,345 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Lisburn?
91 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Lisburn?
Observation records peak in January and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:47.
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.