Birds of Chippenham
What has actually been seen around Chippenham: 120 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 120 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 9,782 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- January
- Elevation
- 61 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Chippenham
120 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Chippenham (Wiltshire) since 2010, across 9,782 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Blackbird.
Chippenham is a garden-bird place: 78% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
10 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite 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 January and are lowest in November — about 3.5 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.
Kington Langley, 3 km to the north, has fewer species on record (111 against 120). Birds logged far more often around Chippenham than there include Great Crested Grebe, Common Merganser and Common Gull.
Daylight runs from 16 h 38 min at midsummer to 7 h 50 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:50 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Chippenham
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 710 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 579 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 527 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 499 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 469 |
| 6 | MagpiePica pica | 426 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 422 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 330 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 310 |
| 10 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 299 |
| 11 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 274 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 247 |
| 13 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 211 |
| 14 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 199 |
| 15 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 190 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 182 |
| 17 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 179 |
| 18 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 166 |
| 19 | SwiftApus apus | 149 |
| 20 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 148 |
Records by month
What to put out in Chippenham
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Wiltshire
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 Chippenham?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Chippenham are Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Carrion Crow, based on 9,782 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Chippenham?
120 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Chippenham?
Observation records peak in January and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:50.
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.