Birds of East Kilbride
What has actually been seen around East Kilbride: 116 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 116 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 4,793 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- January
- Elevation
- 161 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about East Kilbride
116 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of East Kilbride (South Lanarkshire) since 2010, across 4,793 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow.
East Kilbride is a garden-bird place: 68% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
9 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 January and are lowest in August — about 4.2 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.
Carmunnock, 5 km to the north-west, has more species on record (123 against 116).
Daylight runs from 17 h 34 min at midsummer to 7 h 0 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:13 in mid-April and 4:31 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near East Kilbride
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 276 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 215 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 204 |
| 4 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 167 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 158 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 146 |
| 7 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 146 |
| 8 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 139 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 127 |
| 10 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 119 |
| 11 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 110 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 106 |
| 13 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 105 |
| 14 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 102 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 101 |
| 16 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 101 |
| 17 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 100 |
| 18 | Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus | 95 |
| 19 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 94 |
| 20 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 93 |
Records by month
What to put out in East Kilbride
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for South Lanarkshire
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 East Kilbride?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of East Kilbride are Magpie, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw and Robin, based on 4,793 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near East Kilbride?
116 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in East Kilbride?
Observation records peak in January and are lowest in August. 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.