Birds of Paisley
What has actually been seen around Paisley: 104 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 104 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 10,022 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 50 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Paisley
104 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Paisley (Renfrewshire) since 2010, across 10,022 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Woodpigeon and Blackbird.
Paisley is a garden-bird place: 88% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
7 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Tawny Owl. 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 2.8 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.
Hawkhead, 3 km to the east, has more species on record (109 against 104). Birds logged far more often around Paisley than there include Great Spotted Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Siskin and Tawny Owl.
Daylight runs from 17 h 35 min at midsummer to 6 h 59 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:31 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Paisley
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 738 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 688 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 580 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 520 |
| 5 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 493 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 488 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 469 |
| 8 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 468 |
| 9 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 411 |
| 10 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 364 |
| 11 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 331 |
| 12 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 320 |
| 13 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 311 |
| 14 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 311 |
| 15 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 280 |
| 16 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 272 |
| 17 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 226 |
| 18 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 212 |
| 19 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 208 |
| 20 | BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula | 169 |
Records by month
What to put out in Paisley
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Renfrewshire
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 Paisley?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Paisley are Magpie, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Jackdaw, based on 10,022 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Paisley?
104 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Paisley?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:31.
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.