Garden Bird Identifier and Monthly Bird Forecast (Free)
Free garden bird app: identify a bird by size and colour, see which birds are around your region this month, and keep your own garden list. No login, no download.
In this article
What bird is that at your feeder, and who should you expect this month? This free garden bird companion answers both for your own state, region or province, using 908 million real bird records. Identify a bird in five taps, see who is arriving and leaving, and keep a private list of every bird in your garden.
How the garden bird companion works
It is built on 908 million bird records from 96 regions in the US, UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands, shared on GBIF.org under open licences (we use only CC0 and CC BY records from 2016 to 2025). For every region and month we count how often each of 93 common garden birds is reported, compared with all bird records that month. That share drives everything: the identifier only suggests birds that are really around where you live, the forecast shows who is arriving and leaving, and the year chart shows when each bird peaks.
Your garden list stays in your browser. There is no account and nothing is sent to us.
How to identify British garden birds
Start with the ten birds that make up most UK garden sightings. In GBIF records from 2016 to 2025, the most reported UK garden birds in January are Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Magpie, followed by Great Tit, Jackdaw, Starling, Goldfinch and Dunnock. Learn those first and you can name most of your feeder visitors.
To identify a British garden bird with the companion above, choose the UK and your region, then enter the size, the main colours and where you saw it. It only suggests birds reported near you, and a bird that is not around this month drops down the list. The tables below show the top 10 for each country in January and May.
Most reported garden birds by country
the US
| # | January | % | May | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Cardinal | 2.5% | American Robin | 2.7% |
| 2 | Dark-eyed Junco | 2.1% | Northern Cardinal | 2.2% |
| 3 | Mourning Dove | 2.0% | Red-winged Blackbird | 2.2% |
| 4 | Blue Jay | 1.9% | Mourning Dove | 2.1% |
| 5 | Downy Woodpecker | 1.9% | Blue Jay | 1.8% |
| 6 | House Finch | 1.9% | Song Sparrow | 1.7% |
| 7 | European Starling | 1.7% | American Goldfinch | 1.6% |
| 8 | Red-bellied Woodpecker | 1.7% | Common Grackle | 1.5% |
| 9 | American Robin | 1.7% | European Starling | 1.5% |
| 10 | Song Sparrow | 1.6% | Gray Catbird | 1.4% |
Top 10 feeder birds in the US, by share of all bird records. GBIF.org, CC0 and CC BY records, 2016 to 2025.
the UK
| # | January | % | May | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodpigeon | 3.5% | Blackbird | 3.2% |
| 2 | Robin | 3.5% | Woodpigeon | 3.2% |
| 3 | Blackbird | 3.3% | Robin | 2.7% |
| 4 | Blue Tit | 3.2% | Jackdaw | 2.2% |
| 5 | Magpie | 2.9% | Magpie | 2.2% |
| 6 | Great Tit | 2.6% | Blue Tit | 2.1% |
| 7 | Jackdaw | 2.1% | Goldfinch | 2.0% |
| 8 | Starling | 2.0% | Great Tit | 1.8% |
| 9 | Goldfinch | 1.9% | Chaffinch | 1.8% |
| 10 | Dunnock | 1.9% | Blackcap | 1.8% |
Top 10 feeder birds in the UK, by share of all bird records. GBIF.org, CC0 and CC BY records, 2016 to 2025.
Germany
| # | January | % | May | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Tit | 4.9% | Blackbird | 3.9% |
| 2 | Blackbird | 4.8% | Great Tit | 3.4% |
| 3 | Blue Tit | 4.7% | Blue Tit | 3.0% |
| 4 | Robin | 4.0% | Starling | 2.9% |
| 5 | Magpie | 3.8% | Woodpigeon | 2.9% |
| 6 | House Sparrow | 3.8% | House Sparrow | 2.8% |
| 7 | Chaffinch | 3.7% | Chaffinch | 2.7% |
| 8 | Great Spotted Woodpecker | 3.5% | Magpie | 2.5% |
| 9 | Nuthatch | 3.0% | Robin | 2.5% |
| 10 | Tree Sparrow | 3.0% | Blackcap | 2.2% |
Top 10 feeder birds in Germany, by share of all bird records. GBIF.org, CC0 and CC BY records, 2016 to 2025.
France
| # | January | % | May | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Tit | 6.1% | Blackbird | 4.3% |
| 2 | Blue Tit | 5.6% | Blackcap | 3.3% |
| 3 | Robin | 5.5% | Woodpigeon | 3.3% |
| 4 | Chaffinch | 5.2% | Chaffinch | 3.2% |
| 5 | Blackbird | 4.9% | Great Tit | 2.9% |
| 6 | House Sparrow | 4.2% | House Sparrow | 2.6% |
| 7 | Magpie | 3.3% | Collared Dove | 2.0% |
| 8 | Collared Dove | 3.2% | Robin | 2.0% |
| 9 | Goldfinch | 2.5% | Starling | 2.0% |
| 10 | Woodpigeon | 2.5% | Magpie | 1.9% |
Top 10 feeder birds in France, by share of all bird records. GBIF.org, CC0 and CC BY records, 2016 to 2025.
the Netherlands
| # | January | % | May | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackbird | 2.7% | Blackbird | 1.3% |
| 2 | Great Tit | 2.7% | Woodpigeon | 1.3% |
| 3 | Blue Tit | 2.6% | Jackdaw | 1.1% |
| 4 | Magpie | 2.4% | Great Tit | 1.0% |
| 5 | Woodpigeon | 2.3% | Chaffinch | 1.0% |
| 6 | Robin | 2.2% | Blackcap | 0.9% |
| 7 | Jackdaw | 2.1% | Magpie | 0.9% |
| 8 | Chaffinch | 2.0% | Starling | 0.9% |
| 9 | Starling | 1.6% | Blue Tit | 0.8% |
| 10 | Great Spotted Woodpecker | 1.4% | Robin | 0.7% |
Top 10 feeder birds in the Netherlands, by share of all bird records. GBIF.org, CC0 and CC BY records, 2016 to 2025.
Frequently asked questions
How does the garden bird identifier work?
You choose the size, colours and where you saw the bird. The tool scores every common garden bird in your region on how well it matches, then weights the result by how often that bird is actually reported there this month, so a bird that is not around right now drops down the list.
Where does the bird data come from?
From GBIF.org, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, which shares records from birdwatchers, surveys and museums. We use only records with CC0 or CC BY licences from 2016 to 2025, for each state, region or province.
Is my garden list private?
Yes. Your list is saved only in your own browser on this device. There is no login and nothing is sent to Perch and Glass. You can export it as a CSV file at any time.
Is it free?
Yes, completely. There is nothing to install and no account to create.
