Birds of Malmesbury
What has actually been seen around Malmesbury: 91 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 91 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 7,080 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- June
- Elevation
- 82 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Malmesbury
91 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Malmesbury (Wiltshire) since 2010, across 7,080 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Blackbird.
Malmesbury is a garden-bird place: 85% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blackbird and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard 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 June and are lowest in April — about 49.3 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.
Great Somerford, 5 km to the south-east, has more species on record (98 against 91).
Daylight runs from 16 h 39 min at midsummer to 7 h 49 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 Malmesbury
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,148 |
| 2 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 945 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 616 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 487 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 388 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 352 |
| 7 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 265 |
| 8 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 249 |
| 9 | SwiftApus apus | 240 |
| 10 | MagpiePica pica | 221 |
| 11 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 149 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 148 |
| 13 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 136 |
| 14 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 102 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 101 |
| 16 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 96 |
| 17 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 84 |
| 18 | House MartinDelichon urbicum | 80 |
| 19 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 77 |
| 20 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 73 |
Records by month
What to put out in Malmesbury
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 Malmesbury?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Malmesbury are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Robin and Carrion Crow, based on 7,080 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Malmesbury?
91 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Malmesbury?
Observation records peak in June and are lowest in April. 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.