Birds to See in Down in December
92 species listed for December · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
92 bird species on our list for Down are recorded regularly in December. Of these, the most often recorded are European Robin, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Common Starling and Dunnock. New this month: Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black Guillemot, Black-tailed Godwit and Greenfinch and 22 more.
New in December26
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Black Guillemot
- Black-tailed Godwit
- Greenfinch
- Kittiwake
- Stonechat
- Rock Pipit
- Eurasian Skylark
- Red Knot
- Golden Plover
- Redwing
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
- Razorbill
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Sparrowhawk
- Northern Pintail
- Purple Sandpiper
- Common Loon
- Common Snipe
- Water Rail
- Common Scoter
- Grey Plover
- Northern Shoveler
- Spotted Redshank
- Common Kingfisher
- Carrion Crow
Leaving after last month3
Residents
(60)Recorded all year
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Recorded all year
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Recorded all year
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Recorded all year
Magpie
Pica picaLC
Recorded all year
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Recorded all year
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Recorded all year
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Nov–Sep
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Regularly Sep–Jul
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly May–Jan
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Recorded all year
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Regularly Aug–Jan
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Recorded all year
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Recorded all year
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
Regularly Dec–Sep
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Dec–Oct
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Regularly May–Mar
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Oct–Jan
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Regularly May–Dec
Stonechat
Saxicola rubicolaLC
Regularly Jun–Jan
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Regularly Oct–May
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
Regularly Dec–Apr
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
Regularly Aug–Mar
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Regularly Oct–Jun
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropusLC
Regularly Dec
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
Regularly Dec
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Dec–May
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Summer visitors
(10)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Regularly Dec–Aug
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Winter visitors
(5)Present outside the breeding season
Passage migrants
(17)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Regularly Aug–May
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Regularly Aug–Mar
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
Regularly Aug–Mar
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Regularly Oct–May
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritimaLC
Regularly Dec
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Oct–Dec
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
Regularly Oct–Jan
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
Regularly Sep–Dec
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Regularly Oct–Jan
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
Regularly Dec–Jan
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Regularly Dec–May
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly May–Dec
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
Regularly Dec
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