Birds in Northumberland
Our list for Northumberland has 237 bird species recorded regularly there: 98 residents, 51 summer visitors, 39 winter visitors, 30 passage migrants and 19 scarce visitors
The list comes from 489,000 birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.
- Species on our list
- 237
- In October
- 174
- Common
- 111
- Busiest month
- May
What's special about Northumberland
vs EnglandThe birds recorded far more often here than across England, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones Northumberland is worth visiting for.
Roseate Tern23×Summer visitor · 0.13% of records here, 0.01% across England
Eider18×Resident · 1.2% of records here, 0.07% across England
Twite16×Winter visitor · 0.13% of records here, 0.01% across England
Arctic Tern14×Summer visitor · 0.41% of records here, 0.03% across England
Hooded Crow13×Passage migrant · 0.04% of records here, 0.00% across England
Atlantic Puffin10×Summer visitor · 0.26% of records here, 0.03% across England
Purple Sandpiper9.8×Winter visitor · 0.23% of records here, 0.02% across England
Long-tailed Duck7.8×Winter visitor · 0.12% of records here, 0.02% across England
This month: October
GBIF · OctMost likely
Share of all bird records in Northumberland in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.
Near you this week
The birds most likely around your town or postcode right now, from the same records, for a square about 9 km across.
The bird calendar for Northumberland
Month by monthWhen each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.
| Bird | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black-headed Gull | ||||||||||||
| Carrion Crow | ||||||||||||
| European Herring Gull | ||||||||||||
| Woodpigeon | ||||||||||||
| Mallard | ||||||||||||
| Eurasian Oystercatcher | ||||||||||||
| Blackbird | ||||||||||||
| Jackdaw | ||||||||||||
| Curlew | ||||||||||||
| Common Starling | ||||||||||||
| European Robin | ||||||||||||
| European Goldfinch | ||||||||||||
| Grey Heron | ||||||||||||
| Redshank | ||||||||||||
| Eurasian Wren | ||||||||||||
| Northern Lapwing | ||||||||||||
| Great Cormorant | ||||||||||||
| Pied Wagtail | ||||||||||||
| Barn Swallow | ||||||||||||
| Magpie | ||||||||||||
| Chaffinch | ||||||||||||
| Blue Tit | ||||||||||||
| Common Pheasant | ||||||||||||
| Mute Swan | ||||||||||||
| Great Black-backed Gull | ||||||||||||
| Eurasian Teal | ||||||||||||
| Eider | ||||||||||||
| House Sparrow | ||||||||||||
| Meadow Pipit | ||||||||||||
| Greylag Goose |
The year in Northumberland
Records by month| January | 35,444 |
|---|---|
| February | 25,081 |
| March | 31,045 |
| April | 45,259 |
| May | 60,272 |
| June | 57,803 |
| July | 41,586 |
| August | 41,248 |
| September | 39,173 |
| October | 58,176 |
| November | 29,271 |
| December | 25,056 |
May has the most records (60,000). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.
By family
12 of 35- Ducks, Geese & Swans34
- Sandpipers & Snipes26
- Gulls & Terns19
- Finches12
- Old World Flycatchers9
- Crows & Jays7
- Plovers & Lapwings7
- Wagtails & Pipits7
- Hawks & Eagles6
- Thrushes6
- Grebes5
- Herons & Egrets5
All 35 families in Northumberland
- Petrels & Shearwaters5
- Pheasants & Grouse5
- Tits & Chickadees5
- Auks & Puffins4
- Falcons4
- Leaf Warblers4
- Pigeons & Doves4
- Skuas & Jaegers4
- Sylviid Warblers4
- Loons & Divers3
- Owls3
- Rails & Coots3
- Swallows & Martins3
- Buntings2
- Cormorants & Shags2
- Goldcrests & Kinglets2
- Larks2
- Longspurs & Snow Buntings2
- Old World Sparrows2
- Reed Warblers2
- Shrikes2
- Storm Petrels2
- Woodpeckers2
How common
More of England
- Birds in Norfolk253 species
- Birds in Cornwall247 species
- Birds in Kent244 species
- Birds in East Riding of Yorkshire243 species
All 237 birds, A to Z
- American Golden-Plover
- Arctic Jaeger
- Arctic Loon
- Arctic Tern
- Atlantic Puffin
- Avocet
- Balearic Shearwater
- Bar-headed Goose
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Barn Owl
- Barn Swallow
- Barnacle Goose
- Bearded Tit
- Black Guillemot
- Black Redstart
- Black Tern
- Black-headed Gull
- Black-necked Grebe
- Black-tailed Godwit
- Blackbird
- Blackcap
- Blue Tit
- Bluethroat
- Bohemian Waxwing
Show all 237 birds
- Bonaparte's Gull
- Brambling
- Brent Goose
- Bullfinch
- Buzzard
- Canada Goose
- Carrion Crow
- Cattle Egret
- Cetti's Warbler
- Chaffinch
- Chiffchaff
- Coal Tit
- Common Gull
- Common Kingfisher
- Common Loon
- Common Merganser
- Common Pheasant
- Common Quail
- Common Raven
- Common Redpoll
- Common Redstart
- Common Reed-warbler
- Common Rosefinch
- Common Sandpiper
- Common Scoter
- Common Shelduck
- Common Snipe
- Common Starling
- Common Swift
- Common Tern
- Coot
- Cuckoo
- Curlew
- Curlew Sandpiper
- Dipper
- Dunlin
- Dunnock
- Egyptian Goose
- Eider
- Eurasian Bittern
- Eurasian Collared Dove
- Eurasian Jay
- Eurasian Nuthatch
- Eurasian Oystercatcher
- Eurasian Siskin
- Eurasian Skylark
- Eurasian Spoonbill
- Eurasian Teal
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
- Eurasian Wigeon
- Eurasian Woodcock
- Eurasian Wren
- European Goldfinch
- European Green Woodpecker
- European Herring Gull
- European Pied Flycatcher
- European Robin
- European Shag
- European Storm-petrel
- Fieldfare
- Firecrest
- Fulmar
- Gadwall
- Garden Warbler
- Garganey
- Glaucous Gull
- Goldcrest
- Golden Plover
- Goldeneye
- Grasshopper Warbler
- Great Black-backed Gull
- Great Cormorant
- Great Crested Grebe
- Great Grey Shrike
- Great Shearwater
- Great Skua
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
- Great Tit
- Great White Egret
- Greater Scaup
- Greater White-fronted Goose
- Green Sandpiper
- Greenfinch
- Greenshank
- Grey Heron
- Grey Partridge
- Grey Phalarope
- Grey Plover
- Grey Wagtail
- Greylag Goose
- Hawfinch
- Hen Harrier
- Hobby
- Hooded Crow
- Hoopoe
- Horned Grebe
- Horned Lark
- House Martin
- House Sparrow
- Iceland Gull
- Jack Snipe
- Jackdaw
- Kestrel
- Kittiwake
- Lapland Longspur
- Leach's Storm-petrel
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Lesser Whitethroat
- Linnet
- Little Auk
- Little Egret
- Little Grebe
- Little Gull
- Little Owl
- Little Ringed Plover
- Little Stint
- Little Tern
- Long-tailed Duck
- Long-tailed Jaeger
- Long-tailed Tit
- Magpie
- Mallard
- Mandarin Duck
- Manx Shearwater
- Marsh Tit
- Meadow Pipit
- Mediterranean Gull
- Merlin
- Mistle Thrush
- Moorhen
- Muscovy Duck
- Mute Swan
- Nightjar
- Northern Gannet
- Northern Lapwing
- Northern Pintail
- Northern Shoveler
- Osprey
- Pacific Golden-Plover
- Pectoral Sandpiper
- Peregrine Falcon
- Pied Wagtail
- Pink-footed Goose
- Pochard
- Pomarine Jaeger
- Purple Sandpiper
- Razorbill
- Red Crossbill
- Red Grouse
- Red Kite
- Red Knot
- Red-backed Shrike
- Red-breasted Merganser
- Red-legged Partridge
- Red-necked Grebe
- Red-necked Phalarope
- Red-throated Loon
- Redshank
- Redwing
- Reed Bunting
- Ring Ouzel
- Ringed Plover
- Rock Dove
- Rock Pipit
- Rook
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
- Roseate Tern
- Ruddy Shelduck
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Ruff
- Sabine's Gull
- Sand Martin
- Sanderling
- Sandwich Tern
- Sedge Warbler
- Short-eared Owl
- Smew
- Snow Bunting
- Song Thrush
- Sooty Shearwater
- Sparrowhawk
- Spotted Flycatcher
- Spotted Redshank
- Stock Dove
- Stonechat
- Surf Scoter
- Tawny Owl
- Temminck's Stint
- Tree Pipit
- Treecreeper
- Tufted Duck
- Tundra Bean Goose
- Twite
- Velvet Scoter
- Water Pipit
- Water Rail
- Western Marsh-harrier
- Wheatear
- Whimbrel
- Whinchat
- White-rumped Sandpiper
- White-tailed Sea-eagle
- Whitethroat
- Whooper Swan
- Willow Tit
- Willow Warbler
- Wood Sandpiper
- Wood Warbler
- Woodpigeon
- Yellow Wagtail
- Yellow-browed Warbler
- Yellow-legged Gull
- Yellowhammer
Questions
4What birds is Northumberland known for?
Compared with the rest of England, Northumberland stands out for Roseate Tern, Eider, Twite and Arctic Tern. Each is recorded at least 13.5 times as often here as across England, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).
How many birds are on Birdfact's list for Northumberland?
237 species, each recorded regularly in Northumberland (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 98 residents, 51 summer visitors, 39 winter visitors, 30 passage migrants and 19 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Northumberland, and rarer vagrants are not listed.
What birds can I see in Northumberland in October?
174 species on our list for Northumberland are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Black-headed Gull, Carrion Crow, European Herring Gull, European Robin and Curlew.
What are the most common birds in Northumberland?
Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Northumberland are Carrion Crow, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Woodpigeon and Barn Swallow.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made












