Birds of Livingston
What has actually been seen around Livingston: 118 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 118 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 5,650 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 157 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Livingston
118 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Livingston (West Lothian) since 2010, across 5,650 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Magpie and Blackbird.
Livingston is a garden-bird place: 76% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Magpie, Blackbird and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
8 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Common Kestrel. 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 November — about 4.0 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.
East Calder, 4 km to the east, has a similar number of species on record (115 against 118).
Daylight runs from 17 h 36 min at midsummer to 6 h 58 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:10 in mid-April and 4:27 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Livingston
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 353 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 325 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 279 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 229 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 226 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 219 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 215 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 171 |
| 9 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 153 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 144 |
| 11 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 143 |
| 12 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 140 |
| 13 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 138 |
| 14 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 136 |
| 15 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 132 |
| 16 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 131 |
| 17 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 127 |
| 18 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 127 |
| 19 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 126 |
| 20 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 114 |
Records by month
What to put out in Livingston
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for West Lothian
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 Livingston?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Livingston are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Blackbird, Robin and Carrion Crow, based on 5,650 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Livingston?
118 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Livingston?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:27.
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.