Birds of Scunthorpe
What has actually been seen around Scunthorpe: 145 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 145 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 5,472 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 46 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.1 h / 7.5 h
What the records say about Scunthorpe
145 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Scunthorpe (North Lincolnshire) since 2010, across 5,472 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Magpie.
Scunthorpe is a garden-bird place: 71% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie and Robin 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 September — about 8.6 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.
Gunness, 5 km to the west, has fewer species on record (133 against 145). Birds logged far more often around Scunthorpe than there include Great Crested Grebe and Canada Goose.
Daylight runs from 17 h 3 min at midsummer to 7 h 27 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:04 in mid-April and 4:32 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Scunthorpe
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 253 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 240 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 215 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 203 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 189 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 160 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 148 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 146 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 139 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 121 |
| 11 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 116 |
| 12 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 115 |
| 13 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 114 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 106 |
| 15 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 104 |
| 16 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 103 |
| 17 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 98 |
| 18 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 90 |
| 19 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 90 |
| 20 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 87 |
Records by month
What to put out in Scunthorpe
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for North Lincolnshire
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 Scunthorpe?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Scunthorpe are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie, Robin and Carrion Crow, based on 5,472 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Scunthorpe?
145 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Scunthorpe?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:32.
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.