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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Scotland

Our list for Scotland has 272 bird species recorded regularly there: 116 residents, 56 summer visitors, 43 winter visitors, 46 passage migrants and 7 scarce visitors

The list comes from 3.2 million 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
272
In October
214
Common
87
Busiest month
May
See all 30 counties

What's special about Scotland

vs United Kingdom

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

  1. Crested TitCrested Tit9.5×Resident · 0.06% of records here, 0.01% across United Kingdom
  2. Black GuillemotBlack Guillemot8.0×Resident · 0.41% of records here, 0.05% across United Kingdom
  3. Hooded CrowHooded Crow7.7×Resident · 0.86% of records here, 0.11% across United Kingdom
  4. TwiteTwite6.6×Summer visitor · 0.18% of records here, 0.03% across United Kingdom
  5. Long-tailed DuckLong-tailed Duck5.6×Winter visitor · 0.19% of records here, 0.03% across United Kingdom
  6. EiderEider5.5×Resident · 0.86% of records here, 0.16% across United Kingdom
  7. Great SkuaGreat Skua5.5×Summer visitor · 0.24% of records here, 0.04% across United Kingdom
  8. Arctic TernArctic Tern4.6×Summer visitor · 0.26% of records here, 0.06% across United Kingdom

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. European Herring GullEuropean Herring Gull3.65%
  2. European RobinEuropean Robin3.43%
  3. Carrion CrowCarrion Crow2.86%
  4. Common StarlingCommon Starling2.78%
  5. JackdawJackdaw2.66%
  6. BlackbirdBlackbird2.54%

Arriving now

  1. FieldfareFieldfareWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.44%
  2. Eurasian WoodcockEurasian WoodcockWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.08%
  3. Bohemian WaxwingBohemian WaxwingWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.05%
  4. Greater White-fronted GooseGreater White-fronted GooseWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.04%
  5. Great Grey ShrikeGreat Grey ShrikePassage migrantSep 0.01% → Oct 0.02%
  6. Horned LarkHorned LarkPassage migrantSep 0.00% → Oct 0.02%

Share of all bird records in Scotland 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 Scotland

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 Scotland

Records by month
Bird records in Scotland by month, 2019–2024
January207,313
February179,963
March229,125
April300,083
May440,596
June399,412
July278,188
August281,218
September303,344
October296,863
November182,284
December151,051

May has the most records (441,000). 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 36
All 36 families in Scotland

How common

Places in Scotland

All 272 birds, A to Z

Show all 272 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Scotland known for?

Compared with the rest of United Kingdom, Scotland stands out for Crested Tit, Black Guillemot, Hooded Crow and Twite. Each is recorded at least 6.5 times as often here as across United Kingdom, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

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

272 species, each recorded regularly in Scotland (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 116 residents, 56 summer visitors, 43 winter visitors, 46 passage migrants and 7 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Scotland, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Scotland in October?

214 species on our list for Scotland are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are European Herring Gull, European Robin, Carrion Crow, Common Starling and Jackdaw.

What are the most common birds in Scotland?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Scotland are European Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, European Robin and Woodpigeon.

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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