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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Down

Our list for Down has 132 bird species recorded regularly there: 69 residents, 20 summer visitors, 5 winter visitors, 30 passage migrants and 8 scarce visitors

The list comes from 41,000 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
132
In October
80
Common
76
Busiest month
May

What's special about Down

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 Down is worth visiting for.

  1. BullfinchBullfinch2.6×Resident · 1.3% of records here, 0.51% across Northern Ireland
  2. Coal TitCoal Tit2.4×Resident · 4.3% of records here, 1.8% across Northern Ireland
  3. Brent GooseBrent Goose2.2×Winter visitor · 0.63% of records here, 0.28% across Northern Ireland
  4. Rock DoveRock Dove2.2×Resident · 3.7% of records here, 1.7% across Northern Ireland
  5. House SparrowHouse Sparrow2.2×Resident · 5.6% of records here, 2.6% across Northern Ireland
  6. DunnockDunnock2.1×Resident · 3.7% of records here, 1.7% across Northern Ireland
  7. Eurasian Collared DoveEurasian Collared Dove1.9×Resident · 1.8% of records here, 0.99% across Northern Ireland
  8. Great TitGreat Tit1.7×Resident · 3.6% of records here, 2.1% across Northern Ireland

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. House SparrowHouse Sparrow5.56%
  2. European RobinEuropean Robin5.13%
  3. Coal TitCoal Tit5.03%
  4. Great TitGreat Tit3.82%
  5. Rock DoveRock Dove3.79%
  6. Common StarlingCommon Starling3.70%

Arriving now

  1. Eurasian SkylarkEurasian SkylarkResidentSep 0.06% → Oct 0.47%
  2. Red KnotRed KnotPassage migrantSep 0.17% → Oct 0.47%
  3. European ShagEuropean ShagResidentSep 0.23% → Oct 0.40%
  4. Bar-tailed GodwitBar-tailed GodwitPassage migrantSep 0.06% → Oct 0.34%
  5. SparrowhawkSparrowhawkResidentSep 0.34% → Oct 0.31%
  6. Northern PintailNorthern PintailPassage migrantSep 0.03% → Oct 0.31%

Share of all bird records in Down 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 Down

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 Down

Records by month
Bird records in Down by month, 2019–2024
January3,107
February2,405
March3,013
April3,164
May6,307
June3,415
July2,803
August4,023
September3,547
October3,219
November2,762
December3,662

May has the most records (6,307). 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 25
All 25 families in Down

How common

More of Northern Ireland

All of Northern Ireland

All 132 birds, A to Z

Show all 132 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Down known for?

Compared with the rest of Northern Ireland, Down stands out for Bullfinch, Coal Tit, Brent Goose and Rock Dove. Each is recorded at least 2.2 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 Down?

132 species, each recorded regularly in Down (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 69 residents, 20 summer visitors, 5 winter visitors, 30 passage migrants and 8 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Down, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Down in October?

80 species on our list for Down are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are House Sparrow, European Robin, Coal Tit, Great Tit and Rock Dove.

What are the most common birds in Down?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Down are House Sparrow, European Robin, Common Starling, Woodpigeon and Coal Tit.

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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