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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Belfast

Our list for Belfast has 114 bird species recorded regularly there: 51 residents, 24 summer visitors, 9 winter visitors, 19 passage migrants and 11 scarce visitors

The list comes from 32,000 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
114
In November
65
Common
85
Busiest month
Jun

What's special about Belfast

vs Northern Ireland

The birds recorded far more often here than across Northern Ireland, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones Belfast is worth visiting for.

  1. RuffRuff4.0×Passage migrant · 0.30% of records here, 0.08% across Northern Ireland
  2. Black-tailed GodwitBlack-tailed Godwit3.5×Resident · 1.4% of records here, 0.40% across Northern Ireland
  3. Northern ShovelerNorthern Shoveler3.4×Resident · 0.75% of records here, 0.22% across Northern Ireland
  4. Bar-tailed GodwitBar-tailed Godwit3.2×Passage migrant · 0.46% of records here, 0.14% across Northern Ireland
  5. Common TernCommon Tern3.2×Summer visitor · 1.6% of records here, 0.49% across Northern Ireland
  6. Arctic TernArctic Tern2.9×Summer visitor · 0.41% of records here, 0.14% across Northern Ireland
  7. Mediterranean GullMediterranean Gull2.6×Summer visitor · 0.34% of records here, 0.13% across Northern Ireland
  8. MoorhenMoorhen2.4×Resident · 2.2% of records here, 0.92% across Northern Ireland

This month: November

GBIF · Nov

Most likely

  1. MagpieMagpie4.89%
  2. Hooded CrowHooded Crow4.37%
  3. European RobinEuropean Robin4.20%
  4. Black-headed GullBlack-headed Gull3.91%
  5. European Herring GullEuropean Herring Gull3.39%
  6. BlackbirdBlackbird3.22%

Arriving now

  1. Tufted DuckTufted DuckResidentOct 0.39% → Nov 0.81%
  2. Bar-tailed GodwitBar-tailed GodwitPassage migrantOct 0.56% → Nov 0.75%
  3. Song ThrushSong ThrushSummer visitorOct 0.17% → Nov 0.69%
  4. Great Crested GrebeGreat Crested GrebeResidentOct 0.62% → Nov 0.69%
  5. Black GuillemotBlack GuillemotSummer visitorOct 0.23% → Nov 0.63%
  6. GreenfinchGreenfinchResidentOct 0.23% → Nov 0.63%

Share of all bird records in Belfast in November, 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 Belfast

Month by month

When 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.

The year in Belfast

Records by month
Bird records in Belfast by month, 2019–2024
January1,707
February1,671
March1,990
April2,687
May3,556
June3,998
July3,291
August3,638
September3,562
October1,775
November1,739
December2,345

June has the most records (3,998). 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 20
All 20 families in Belfast

How common

More of Northern Ireland

All of Northern Ireland

All 114 birds, A to Z

Show all 114 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Belfast known for?

Compared with the rest of Northern Ireland, Belfast stands out for Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Northern Shoveler and Bar-tailed Godwit. Each is recorded at least 3.1 times as often here as across Northern Ireland, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for Belfast?

114 species, each recorded regularly in Belfast (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 51 residents, 24 summer visitors, 9 winter visitors, 19 passage migrants and 11 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Belfast, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Belfast in November?

65 species on our list for Belfast are recorded regularly in November. Of these, the most often recorded are Magpie, Hooded Crow, European Robin, Black-headed Gull and European Herring Gull.

What are the most common birds in Belfast?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Belfast are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, European Robin and Magpie.

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

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