West Sussex · 51.01°N

Birds of Cuckfield

What has actually been seen around Cuckfield: 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
7,047 since 2010
Most recorded bird
Woodpigeon
Busiest month
May
Elevation
113 m
Daylight, June / December
16.6 h / 7.9 h

What the records say about Cuckfield

118 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Cuckfield (West Sussex) since 2010, across 7,047 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Carrion Crow.

Cuckfield is a garden-bird place: 73% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Robin, Carrion Crow 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, Red Kite 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 November — about 6.5 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.

Haywards Heath, 3 km to the south-east, has fewer species on record (103 against 118). Birds logged far more often around Cuckfield than there include Great Crested Grebe and Eurasian Coot.

Daylight runs from 16 h 33 min at midsummer to 7 h 55 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:45 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Cuckfield

#BirdRecords
1WoodpigeonColumba palumbus441
2RobinErithacus rubecula396
3Carrion CrowCorvus corone381
4BlackbirdTurdus merula374
5Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus326
6MagpiePica pica325
7JackdawColoeus monedula323
8European Herring GullLarus argentatus259
9MallardAnas platyrhynchos232
10House SparrowPasser domesticus224
11SwiftApus apus205
12Great TitParus major202
13Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto181
14GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis171
15Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus142
16DunnockPrunella modularis136
17WrenTroglodytes troglodytes130
18Song ThrushTurdus philomelos122
19Canada GooseBranta canadensis119
20Common BuzzardButeo buteo114

Records by month

What to put out in Cuckfield

Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.

Seasonal bird notes for West Sussex

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 Cuckfield?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Cuckfield are Woodpigeon, Robin, Carrion Crow, Blackbird and Blue Tit, based on 7,047 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Cuckfield?

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 Cuckfield?

Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:45.

Sources

  1. GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
  2. 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.