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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Belfast

Our list for Belfast has 107 bird species recorded regularly there: 49 residents, 24 summer visitors, 9 winter visitors, 19 passage migrants and 6 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
107
In October
60
Common
83
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 · 0.31% 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 · 0.76% 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: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. European RobinEuropean Robin4.68%
  2. Hooded CrowHooded Crow4.62%
  3. MagpieMagpie4.45%
  4. WoodpigeonWoodpigeon3.89%
  5. Black-headed GullBlack-headed Gull3.72%
  6. European Herring GullEuropean Herring Gull3.15%

Arriving now

  1. Eurasian WigeonEurasian WigeonWinter visitorSep 0.11% → Oct 0.56%
  2. BullfinchBullfinchSummer visitorSep 0.08% → Oct 0.34%

Share of all bird records in Belfast 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 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 19
All 19 families in Belfast

How common

More of Northern Ireland

All of Northern Ireland

All 107 birds, A to Z

Show all 107 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?

107 species, each recorded regularly in Belfast (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 49 residents, 24 summer visitors, 9 winter visitors, 19 passage migrants and 6 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 October?

60 species on our list for Belfast are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are European Robin, Hooded Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon and Black-headed 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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