Birds of Salisbury
What has actually been seen around Salisbury: 141 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 141 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 21,673 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 50 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Salisbury
141 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Salisbury (Wiltshire) since 2010, across 21,673 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Swift.
Salisbury is a garden-bird place: 75% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
16 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 May and are lowest in January — about 5.7 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.
Old Sarum, 4 km to the north, has a similar number of species on record (140 against 141).
Daylight runs from 16 h 34 min at midsummer to 7 h 54 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:51 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Salisbury
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,161 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 957 |
| 3 | SwiftApus apus | 953 |
| 4 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 920 |
| 5 | MagpiePica pica | 851 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 844 |
| 7 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 786 |
| 8 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 730 |
| 9 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 640 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 617 |
| 11 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 601 |
| 12 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 567 |
| 13 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 557 |
| 14 | Great TitParus major | 513 |
| 15 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 495 |
| 16 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 448 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 446 |
| 18 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 435 |
| 19 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 419 |
| 20 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 399 |
Records by month
What to put out in Salisbury
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 Salisbury?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Salisbury are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie, Jackdaw and Robin, based on 21,673 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Salisbury?
141 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Salisbury?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in January. Sunrise in late June is around 4:51.
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.