Birds of Thornbury
What has actually been seen around Thornbury: 178 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 178 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 25,775 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Blue Tit
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 42 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Thornbury
178 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Thornbury (South Gloucestershire) since 2010, across 25,775 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blue Tit, Robin and Great Tit.
Thornbury is a garden-bird place: 69% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Blue Tit, Robin, Great Tit and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
12 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in April and are lowest in February — about 2.3 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.
Tytherington, 3 km to the south-east, has fewer species on record (147 against 178). Birds logged far more often around Thornbury than there include Common Shelduck, Canada Goose, Eurasian Reed Warbler and Eurasian Curlew.
Daylight runs from 16 h 40 min at midsummer to 7 h 49 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:16 in mid-April and 4:51 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Thornbury
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 998 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 901 |
| 3 | Great TitParus major | 784 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 783 |
| 5 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 744 |
| 6 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 741 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 714 |
| 8 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 701 |
| 9 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 662 |
| 10 | BlackcapSylvia atricapilla | 614 |
| 11 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 597 |
| 12 | MagpiePica pica | 584 |
| 13 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 564 |
| 14 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 522 |
| 15 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 480 |
| 16 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 475 |
| 17 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 455 |
| 18 | Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna | 421 |
| 19 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 399 |
| 20 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 392 |
Records by month
What to put out in Thornbury
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for South Gloucestershire
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 Thornbury?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Thornbury are Blue Tit, Robin, Great Tit, Blackbird and Chiffchaff, based on 25,775 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Thornbury?
178 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Thornbury?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in February. Sunrise in late June is around 4:51.
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.