Birds of Featherstone
What has actually been seen around Featherstone: 137 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 137 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 5,434 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 48 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.1 h / 7.4 h
What the records say about Featherstone
137 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Featherstone (Wakefield) since 2010, across 5,434 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Carrion Crow.
Featherstone is a garden-bird place: 65% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Red Kite. 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 December — about 8.7 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.
Pontefract, 3 km to the north-east, has fewer species on record (131 against 137). Birds logged far more often around Featherstone than there include Nuthatch, Rook, Jackdaw and Goldcrest.
Daylight runs from 17 h 5 min at midsummer to 7 h 26 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:34 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Featherstone
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 353 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 310 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 212 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 195 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 195 |
| 6 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 158 |
| 7 | MagpiePica pica | 152 |
| 8 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 148 |
| 9 | SwiftApus apus | 147 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 134 |
| 11 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 129 |
| 12 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 125 |
| 13 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 120 |
| 14 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 113 |
| 15 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 107 |
| 16 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 100 |
| 17 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 96 |
| 18 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 93 |
| 19 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 90 |
| 20 | Common PochardAythya ferina | 85 |
Records by month
What to put out in Featherstone
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Wakefield
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 Featherstone?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Featherstone are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit and Robin, based on 5,434 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Featherstone?
137 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Featherstone?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:34.
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.