Birds of Selby
What has actually been seen around Selby: 128 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 128 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 6,280 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Blackbird
- Busiest month
- March
- Elevation
- 9 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.1 h / 7.4 h
What the records say about Selby
128 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Selby (North Yorkshire) since 2010, across 6,280 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blackbird, Woodpigeon and Robin.
Selby 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. Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 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 March and are lowest in September — about 4.5 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.
Riccall, 6 km to the north, has more species on record (148 against 128). Birds logged far more often around Selby than there include House Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Greenfinch and Mute Swan.
Daylight runs from 17 h 6 min at midsummer to 7 h 25 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:32 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Selby
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 274 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 266 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 226 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 207 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 205 |
| 6 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 200 |
| 7 | MagpiePica pica | 198 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 182 |
| 9 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 180 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 170 |
| 11 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 159 |
| 12 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 158 |
| 13 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 156 |
| 14 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 155 |
| 15 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 145 |
| 16 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 144 |
| 17 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 143 |
| 18 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 143 |
| 19 | YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella | 128 |
| 20 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 119 |
Records by month
What to put out in Selby
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for North Yorkshire
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 Selby?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Selby are Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit, based on 6,280 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Selby?
128 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Selby?
Observation records peak in March 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.