Birds in Northern Ireland
Explore 166 species found in this region.
Northern Ireland is home to an impressive 164 recorded bird species, thriving across a rich tapestry of habitats from the vast shores of Lough Neagh and Strangford Lough to the rugged Antrim coastline and rolling upland moorlands. Wading birds such as the Northern Lapwing and Common Sandpiper frequent the region's wetlands, while woodlands and hedgerows support species like the Great Tit and Magpie. Coastal estuaries and mudflats attract wintering wildfowl including Common Shelduck and Common Merganser, making Northern Ireland a rewarding destination for birdwatchers year-round.
Visiting in April? Look out for Atlantic Puffin and Barn Swallow arriving this month, and Barnacle Goose and Common Loon depart for the season.
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Get Your Free DigestShowing 47–69 of 166 species
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
An uncommon year-round resident found on estuarine mudflats and upland bogs. Breeds on moorland but numbers swell in winter with continental arrivals.
Year-round
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
A common but unobtrusive resident of hedgerows and garden shrubbery. Its thin, warbling song is one of the earliest heard in spring.
Year-round
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Uncommon year-round resident along rocky coastlines. Breeds on sheltered shores and islands, often seen in rafts offshore.
Year-round
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
An uncommon resident found year-round in gardens, farmyards and suburban areas. Its monotonous three-note call is a familiar sound.
Year-round
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
An uncommon year-round resident of broadleaved and mixed woodland. Its harsh screeching call often reveals its presence before it is seen.
Year-round
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
A common year-round resident along coasts, estuaries and inland fields. Its loud piping call is a characteristic sound of the shoreline.
Year-round
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
An uncommon resident of conifer and mixed woodland, often visiting garden nyjer feeders in winter. Its tinkling flight call is distinctive overhead.
Year-round
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
An uncommon year-round resident of open farmland and rough grassland. Numbers have declined, but its hovering song flight can still be enjoyed in rural areas.
Year-round
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Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodiaLC
A rare summer passage visitor, occasionally turning up at wetlands and estuaries between June and August. Sightings are increasing across Ireland.
Jun–Aug
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
An uncommon resident with a localised distribution, favouring farmland and rural edges. Less tied to human habitation than its House Sparrow cousin.
Year-round
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
An uncommon resident, with numbers boosted in winter by continental migrants. Favours Lough Neagh, Strangford Lough, and coastal estuaries.
Jul–May
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A rare passage visitor recorded in November, when Continental birds arrive. Secretive and well-camouflaged in damp woodland leaf litter.
Nov
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
One of Northern Ireland's most abundant birds, found year-round in virtually every habitat from gardens to remote glens. Its powerful song belies its tiny size.
Year-round
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
A colourful and increasingly common resident, often seen in flocks on seed heads in gardens and waste ground. Numbers have risen in recent decades.
Year-round
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
A common year-round resident of coasts, harbours, and increasingly urban areas. Breeds on cliffs and rooftops across Northern Ireland.
Year-round
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
A beloved year-round resident of gardens, parks, and woodland. Its melodious song can be heard in every month, even through the darkest winter days.
Year-round
European Shag
Phalacrocorax aristotelisLC
An uncommon resident of rocky coastlines, nesting on sea cliffs. Smaller and darker than the Great Cormorant, preferring rougher waters.
Year-round
European Storm-petrel
Hydrobates pelagicusLC
A rare passage visitor seen offshore from July to September, sometimes driven close to the coast by strong westerly gales.
Jul–Sep
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
A rare winter visitor from Scandinavia, sometimes appearing in flocks with Redwings in hedgerows and open fields between October and April.
Oct–Apr
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
An uncommon resident nesting on sea cliffs along the north coast, often seen stiff-winged over the waves. Largely absent in late autumn.
Dec–Sep
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Uncommon resident found on lakes and reservoirs throughout the year. A relatively recent coloniser, slowly increasing across Northern Ireland.
Year-round
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
Rare spring passage migrant, occasionally recorded in May on freshwater wetlands. One of the scarcest regular ducks in Northern Ireland.
May
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
A rare winter visitor from Arctic breeding grounds, occasionally turning up among gull flocks at harbours and coastal sites, mainly in January.
Jan