Birds to See in London in October
112 species matching this filter.
October is a dynamic month for birdwatching in London, with around 112 species recorded as summer visitors depart and winter arrivals begin to appear. Parks, reservoirs and the Thames foreshore host a wonderful mix of residents and migrants, from Fieldfares freshly arrived from Scandinavia to lingering Blackcaps and House Martins making their final journeys south. For a broader look at what you can spot year-round, explore our guide to the 20 Most Common Birds in London: Gardens, Parks & Urban Hotspots.
New in October10
Resident
(91)
Avocet
Recurvirostra avosettaLC
A rare resident, occasionally breeding at London's wetland reserves. Most reliably seen at sites along the Thames estuary fringe.
Year-round
Bearded Tit
Panurus biarmicusLC
A rare resident of extensive reedbeds, found at select sites such as those in the Lee Valley and Rainham Marshes.
Apr–Jan
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
A rare but year-round presence on London's reservoirs and wetlands. Numbers have increased nationally, with the Lee Valley a key site.
Jul–May
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
One of London's most familiar birds, abundant in gardens, parks, and hedgerows year-round. Its melodious song fills the city at dusk.
Year-round
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
A common resident boosted in winter by continental migrants. Its rich song is heard in parks and gardens year-round.
Year-round
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
A common and much-loved garden resident, readily visiting feeders year-round. One of London's most familiar and colourful small birds.
Year-round
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
A rare but year-round resident, quietly inhabiting wooded parks and larger gardens. Its soft, piping call is easily overlooked.
Year-round
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
An uncommon but increasing resident, now regularly seen soaring over London's outer suburbs, parks, and green corridors.
Year-round
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
Abundant and resident year-round, found on almost every lake, reservoir, and park in the capital. Often forms large, noisy flocks.
Year-round
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
A common and intelligent resident, found throughout London from inner-city rooftops to suburban gardens. Often seen in large gatherings at dusk.
Year-round
Cetti's Warbler
Cettia cettiLC
A common year-round resident at London's wetland reserves, more often heard than seen. Its explosive song bursts from dense waterside cover.
Year-round
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
A common year-round resident in parks, gardens, and woodland. Its cheerful descending song is a hallmark of spring across the capital.
Year-round
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
A common resident heard singing its repetitive two-note call in parks and scrubby areas year-round. Increasingly overwinters in London's milder climate.
Year-round
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
An uncommon resident of parks and woodlands with mature conifers. Less numerous than Blue or Great Tits but present year-round at feeders.
Year-round
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Common year-round, frequenting playing fields, reservoirs, and the Thames. Numbers peak in winter with continental arrivals.
Year-round
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
An uncommon but delightful year-round resident along London's rivers, canals, and park lakes. A flash of electric blue along the waterside.
Year-round
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
An uncommon resident found mainly on London's rural fringes and larger green spaces. Originally introduced, now well established.
Year-round
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
A rare but increasingly recorded resident, part of a recent national range expansion. Occasionally seen soaring over outer London.
Aug–May
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
An uncommon but regular wader along the Thames and reservoir edges, bobbing its tail as it picks along stony margins.
Jul–May
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
An uncommon year-round resident, favouring the Thames estuary fringes and larger reservoirs. Less often seen on smaller park lakes.
Year-round
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
An uncommon resident of London's marshes and wet grasslands. Most visible in winter when numbers increase at key wetland sites.
Aug–May
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
A common but declining resident, forming spectacular winter murmurations over central London rooftop roosts.
Year-round
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Abundant on virtually every London lake and reservoir year-round. Aggressive and conspicuous, often seen squabbling in large flocks.
Year-round
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
A rare visitor to London's reservoirs and wetlands, most often seen on passage or during winter. Declining nationally, making local sightings increasingly noteworthy.
Jul–Apr
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Present at London's reservoirs and muddy margins nearly year-round but rarely in numbers. Most often seen in winter and on passage.
Jul–May
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
A common resident throughout London's gardens, parks, and hedgerows. Its thin, warbling song is heard year-round from dense undergrowth.
Year-round
Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiacaLC
A common and increasing resident, thriving in London's parks and along waterways. Now one of the capital's most conspicuous wildfowl.
Year-round
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
An uncommon resident more typical of suburban fringes than inner London. Its monotonous three-note call is distinctive.
Year-round
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
A common resident of London's parks and wooded areas, often betrayed by its harsh screeching call. Frequently buries acorns in autumn.
Year-round
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
An uncommon resident of mature deciduous woodland in parks and outer suburbs, slowly spreading across the capital.
Year-round
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Uncommon and declining, now largely restricted to outer London's remaining open grasslands and farmland fringes.
Year-round
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
A rare and declining resident on London's fringes, favouring farmland edges. Far scarcer than its House Sparrow cousin in the capital.
Sep–Apr
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
An uncommon visitor, mainly present from autumn to spring on reservoirs and flooded grasslands. Whistling flocks are a winter highlight.
Aug–May
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
A common resident with a remarkably powerful song for its tiny size. Thrives in London's gardens, parks, and any patch of dense undergrowth.
Year-round
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
A common and colourful resident, frequently visiting garden feeders. Flocks gather on teasel and thistle heads across London's parks and allotments.
Year-round
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridisLC
Resident in parks and commons, its loud laughing call is a familiar sound. Feeds mainly on ants in short grassland.
Year-round
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
A common resident increasingly nesting on rooftops. Readily seen along the Thames and at landfill sites year-round.
Year-round
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
A beloved common resident of gardens and parks across London. Sings throughout the year and is famously confiding around people.
Year-round
Firecrest
Regulus ignicapillaLC
A rare but resident kinglet, favouring evergreen trees in parks and cemeteries. Bright crown stripe distinguishes it from the commoner Goldcrest.
Sep–May
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
A common resident on London's reservoirs, gravel pits, and wetland reserves throughout the year. Often seen alongside shovelers and teal.
Year-round
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
An uncommon year-round resident, favouring conifers in London's parks and cemeteries. Britain's smallest bird, with a thin, high-pitched call.
Year-round
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
An uncommon year-round resident, often seen at reservoirs and along the Thames. The largest regularly occurring gull in London.
Year-round
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
A common year-round resident, frequently seen perched along the Thames and on London's park lakes, often drying outstretched wings.
Year-round
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Breeds on London's larger reservoirs and lakes, performing its elaborate courtship dance from late winter onwards.
Year-round
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
A common resident in London's parks, gardens, and woodlands year-round. Its loud drumming is a familiar sound from late winter onwards.
Year-round
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
One of London's most familiar garden birds, visiting feeders year-round and nesting readily in nest boxes.
Year-round
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
An uncommon but year-round visitor to London's watercress beds, ditches, and reservoir margins. Often solitary and easily startled.
Jun–Apr
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
A common garden resident year-round, though numbers have fallen steeply due to disease. Its wheezy song is a familiar suburban sound.
Year-round
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
A familiar sight along canals, park lakes, and the Thames year-round. Regent's Park hosts one of Britain's oldest heronries.
Year-round
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
An uncommon year-round resident favouring streams and waterways. Increasingly seen along London's rivers and canals, bobbing its long tail.
Year-round
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Common and resident year-round, grazing in parks and on reservoir margins. Most London birds descend from feral populations.
Year-round
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
A common year-round resident, closely tied to human habitation. Colonies thrive in suburban hedgerows, though London populations have declined sharply.
Year-round
Jackdaw
Corvus monedulaLC
A common resident found around older buildings, church towers, and parkland trees throughout the capital all year.
Year-round
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
A common resident, frequently seen hovering beside motorways and over urban green spaces. One of London's most visible birds of prey year-round.
Year-round
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
A common year-round resident, often seen soaring over rooftops or scavenging along the Thames and in urban parks.
Year-round
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
An uncommon resident found on rough grassland and scrubby edges around London's periphery. Numbers have declined significantly in recent decades.
Year-round
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
An increasingly established resident along the Thames and at reservoirs. Once a rarity, now regularly seen stalking shallow margins year-round.
Year-round
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
A common resident of ponds, canals, and park lakes, often betrayed by its distinctive whinnying trill.
Year-round
Little Owl
Athene noctuaLC
A rare year-round resident on London's rural fringes, favouring farmland and old orchards. An introduced species declining nationally.
Year-round
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
A common and charming resident, often seen in busy family flocks moving through hedgerows and garden shrubs. Present year-round across London.
Year-round
Magpie
Pica picaLC
An abundant and bold resident found in virtually every London garden and park. Easily recognised by its striking black-and-white plumage and long tail.
Year-round
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
London's most familiar duck, abundant year-round on virtually every pond, canal, lake, and stretch of the Thames.
Year-round
Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulataLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, favouring wooded lakes and rivers. Richmond Park and the River Thames corridor are reliable spots.
Year-round
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
An uncommon resident found on rough grassland, heathland, and reservoir margins. Numbers increase in autumn as passage birds move through.
Year-round
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
An uncommon resident of larger parks and open woodland. Often sings from treetops in early spring and defends berry bushes in winter.
Year-round
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
A common year-round resident of ponds, canals, and park lakes. Often seen skulking along vegetated margins across the capital.
Year-round
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
An iconic year-round resident of the Thames and London's park lakes. Breeds readily and is a familiar sight across the capital.
Year-round
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
An uncommon resident of London's marshes and wet grasslands. Winter flocks gather at sites like the Lee Valley and Beddington.
Year-round
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Common and present year-round on London's wetland reserves and reservoirs. Numbers peak in winter when continental birds arrive.
Year-round
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
An uncommon year-round resident, nesting on tall buildings and bridges. Battersea Power Station and the Tate Modern are well-known nest sites.
Year-round
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
Found year-round on London's lakes and reservoirs, though declining nationally. Winter flocks bolster numbers on larger waterbodies.
Year-round
Red Kite
Milvus milvusLC
Now an uncommon but increasing resident, regularly seen soaring over outer suburbs. A remarkable conservation success story across southern England.
Year-round
Red-crested Pochard
Netta rufinaLC
A rare but year-round resident, with a small established population centred on London's park lakes and reservoirs.
Year-round
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
An uncommon resident of London's marshes and reservoir margins. Its piping alarm call is a familiar sound at wetland sites.
Year-round
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
An uncommon resident of reedbeds and wetland margins. Found at sites like the London Wetland Centre and along the Thames marshes.
Year-round
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Ubiquitous year-round across the capital in feral form. Nests on buildings and ledges throughout central and suburban London.
Year-round
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
A rare resident in London, largely confined to the rural outer fringes. Far less common here than in the wider countryside.
Year-round
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Alexandrinus krameriLC
A common and conspicuous resident, thriving in London's parks and gardens. Noisy flocks are a familiar sight, especially around south-west London.
Year-round
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensisLC
A rare resident following national culling efforts. Occasionally still reported on London's lakes and reservoirs.
Mar–Jan
Ruff
Philomachus pugnaxLC
A rare visitor to London's wetland reserves, most likely at sites like the London Wetland Centre. Appears mainly on passage in autumn and spring.
Aug–Apr
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
A familiar year-round resident, often heard repeating phrases from garden trees and park shrubbery. Smashes snail shells on favourite stones.
Year-round
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
An uncommon but increasing resident, hunting small birds through parks and suburban gardens across the capital.
Year-round
Stock Dove
Columba oenasLC
A common but often overlooked resident of London's parks and wooded areas. Nests in tree holes and old buildings.
Year-round
Stonechat
Saxicola torquatusLC
An uncommon resident found on heathland and scrubby margins around London's outer fringes. Often perches prominently on gorse or fences.
Year-round
Tawny Owl
Strix alucoLC
A rare but resident owl of mature parkland and wooded commons. Its distinctive hooting call is heard in areas like Richmond Park and Highgate.
Aug–May
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
A rare but year-round resident, creeping mouse-like up tree trunks in mature woodland. Best found in larger parks with old-growth trees.
Year-round
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
A common diving duck on park lakes, reservoirs, and gravel pits throughout the year. Often seen alongside Pochard and Coot.
Year-round
Western Marsh-harrier
Circus aeruginosusLC
A rare resident, found year-round at larger marshes and wetland reserves such as those in the Lee Valley. Numbers have slowly increased in recent decades.
Year-round
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
An uncommon visitor to open ground and playing fields from March to October. Often seen on passage, pausing briefly on short turf.
Mar–Oct
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
One of London's most abundant birds, thriving in gardens, parks, and streets year-round. Its cooing song is a constant urban soundtrack.
Year-round
Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellisLC
A rare but year-round resident, increasingly identified among London's large gull flocks at reservoirs and landfill sites.
Year-round
Breeding
(4)
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
An uncommon summer breeder from April to October, more often seen over outer London's farmland and wetlands than the inner city.
Apr–Oct
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
An increasingly regular sight at London's reservoirs and wetlands. A rare breeder, present from spring through autumn with some lingering into December.
Apr–Dec
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
An uncommon and declining summer visitor, nesting under eaves from April to October. Numbers have fallen sharply.
Apr–Oct
Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla flavaLC
An uncommon summer breeder on wet meadows and marshes at London's edges. Declining nationally, making local sightings increasingly noteworthy.
Apr–Oct
Non-breeding
(11)
Barn Owl
Tyto albaLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to London's fringes, occasionally seen from autumn into winter. Favours rough grassland on the city's rural edges.
Sep–Jan
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
A rare non-breeding visitor, sometimes found in birch and alder along waterways from autumn to spring. Numbers vary greatly between years.
Sep–Apr
Dartford Warbler
Curruca undataNT
A rare non-breeding visitor to heathland fringes, occasionally recorded on outer London commons in autumn and winter.
Oct–Jan
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
An uncommon non-breeding visitor from September to April, often feeding in alders and birches along London's waterways and in wooded parks.
Sep–Apr
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
An uncommon winter visitor, arriving from Scandinavia from October. Roaming flocks sometimes descend on berry-laden trees in parks and playing fields.
Oct–Apr
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
A rare and secretive winter visitor to London's marshes and wet meadows. Easily overlooked due to its skulking habits.
Oct–Apr
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
An uncommon non-breeding visitor to London's reservoirs and wetlands from autumn through spring. Elegant but easily overlooked among other ducks.
Sep–Apr
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
A common winter visitor from Scandinavia, arriving from October and lingering into April. Feeds on berries in parks, gardens, and playing fields.
Sep–Apr
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
A rare non-breeding visitor from October to March, occasionally found along the Thames foreshore and around London's larger reservoirs.
Oct–Mar
Water Pipit
Anthus spinolettaLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to London's reservoirs and watercress beds from October to April. Easily confused with the commoner Meadow Pipit.
Oct–Apr
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
An uncommon and secretive visitor to reedbeds and marshy edges, mainly from autumn to spring. More often heard squealing than seen.
Aug–Apr
Passage
(6)
Black-necked Grebe
Podiceps nigricollisLC
A rare autumn passage visitor to London's reservoirs and gravel pits, most likely in October and November.
Oct–Nov
Brambling
Fringilla montifringillaLC
A rare passage visitor, sometimes joining Chaffinch flocks in parks and woodland edges during March and again in autumn.
Oct–Mar
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibisLC
A rare late-summer passage visitor, part of a species expanding northward into Britain. Occasionally noted at wetland sites and reservoirs.
Aug–Oct
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraLC
A rare and irruptive passage visitor, occasionally appearing in October during invasion years. Seeks out conifer stands in larger parks.
Oct
Ring Ouzel
Turdus torquatusLC
A rare passage migrant in April and October, pausing briefly on migration. Most often found on scrubby hillsides and open ground on London's fringes.
Oct–Apr
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeusLC
A rare autumn passage visitor, occasionally seen hunting over London's marshes and open grasslands in October and November.
Oct–Nov