Birds of Rutherglen
What has actually been seen around Rutherglen: 146 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 146 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 29,145 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 23 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Rutherglen
146 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Rutherglen (South Lanarkshire) since 2010, across 29,145 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Rock Pigeon.
Rutherglen 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. Magpie, Rock Pigeon, Woodpigeon 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 May and are lowest in August — about 2.5 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.
Cambuslang, 4 km to the south-east, has fewer species on record (121 against 146). Birds logged far more often around Rutherglen than there include Rock Pigeon.
Daylight runs from 17 h 35 min at midsummer to 6 h 59 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:13 in mid-April and 4:30 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Rutherglen
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 2,027 |
| 2 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 1,845 |
| 3 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 1,840 |
| 4 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,534 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,522 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,198 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,109 |
| 8 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,106 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 970 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 953 |
| 11 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 857 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 815 |
| 13 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 791 |
| 14 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 767 |
| 15 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 741 |
| 16 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 711 |
| 17 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 522 |
| 18 | Eurasian CootFulica atra | 496 |
| 19 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 495 |
| 20 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 495 |
Records by month
What to put out in Rutherglen
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 Rutherglen?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Rutherglen are Magpie, Rock Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Robin, based on 29,145 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Rutherglen?
146 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Rutherglen?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:30.
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.