Birds we should see and need to know Flashcards
To identify males and females of these species by site and written descriptions. Please also visit RSPB https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/ to learn their songs and calls
Conspicuous red face and yellow on wing. Feeds on seeds of thistle, teasel and other weeds. Distinctive tinkling call, often heard when birds are flying
Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
A small, slim finch, widely distributed and once very popular as a cage bird because of its melodious song. Males are attractively marked with crimson foreheads and breasts, females much browner. It has an undulating flight, usually twittering as it flies and may be seen in large flocks during the winter.
Linnet numbers have dropped substantially over the past few decades, with the UK population estimated to have declined by 57 per cent between 1970 and 2014. The latest Breeding Bird Survey results show a decrease in all countries
Small and acrobatic, visits trees, shrubs and bird tables. Bright blue cap surrounded by white, black stripe through eye with blue wings and tail and yellow underside
Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus
pink-footed goose - a medium-sized goose, smaller than a mute swan but bigger than a mallard. It is pinkish grey with a dark head and neck, a pink bill and pink feet and legs.
This species does not breed in the UK, but large numbers of birds spend the winter here, arriving from their breeding grounds in Spitsbergen, Iceland and Greenland. Numbers in England are on the increase, particularly in Norfolk, probably due to better protection at winter roosts
With the firecrest, the goldcrest is the UK’s smallest bird. They’re dull greyish-green with a pale belly and a black and yellow stripe on their heads, which has an orange centre in males. Their thin beak is ideally suited for picking insects out from between pine needles
The taiga bean goose is the species of bean goose most likely to be seen in the UK. It tends to be darker and browner than the other ‘grey geese’ species with orange legs and a darker head and neck. It is typically larger than the related tundra bean goose with similar plumage, a sleeker body and longer neck. The yellow-orange patch on the bill usually covers more than half the bill. Breeds in the taiga from Western Siberia to Scandinavia and winters in Western Europe with small numbers regularly occuring at sites in Scotland and eastern England
Males are black with yellow bill and eye-ring. Females are brown with spotted breasts. They often raise their tail on landing and have a loud, mellow, fluty song.
Blackbird Turdus merula
Willow tits are between blue and great tits in size, with no yellow, green or blue. They have a large sooty-black cap extending to the back of the neck and a small untidy black bib. It is mid-brown above, with whiter cheeks and pale buff-grey underparts. Its wings show a pale panel not found in marsh tits.
Its recent population declines make it a Red List species
Hen harrier. Of the UK’s birds of prey, this is the most intensively persecuted. Once predating free-range fowl, earning its present name, its effect on the number of grouse available to shoot is the cause of modern conflict and threatens its survival in some parts of the UK, particularly on the driven grouse moors of England and Scotland.
While males are a pale grey colour, females and immatures are brown with a white rump and a long, barred tail which give them the name ‘ringtail’. They fly with wings held in a shallow ‘V’, gliding low in search of food, which mainly consists of meadow pipits and voles. The Orkney population is famous for being polygynous, with males sometimes mating with multiple females on the island.
They are listed as a Schedule 1 species under The Wildlife and Countryside Act
Largest UK tit with bold black and white head and black central breast. Common at bird feeders but often feeds on the ground. Song described as ‘teacher, teacher, teacher’ but famous for mimicking other species.
Great Tit Parus major
Snipe are medium sized, skulking wading birds with short legs and long straight bills. Both sexes are mottled brown above, with paler buff stripes on the back, dark streaks on the chest and pale under parts. They are widespread as a breeding species in the UK, with particularly high densities on northern uplands but lower numbers in southern lowlands (especially south west England). In winter, birds from northern Europe join resident birds.
The UK population of snipe has undergone moderate declines overall in the past twenty-five years, with particularly steep declines in lowland wet grassland, making it an Amber List species
large, long-tailed gamebirds. The males have rich chestnut, golden-brown and black markings on their bodies and tails, with a dark green head and red face wattling. Females are mottled with paler brown and black.
They were introduced to the UK long ago and more recent introductions have brought in a variety of races and breeds for sport shooting
pheasant
most commonly encountered as a winter bird and is the UK’s smallest true thrush. Its creamy strip above the eye and orange-red flank patches make it distinctive.
They roam across the UK’s countryside, feeding in fields and hedgerows, rarely visiting gardens, except in the coldest weather when snow covers the fields. Only a few pairs nest in the UK. It is listed as a Schedule 1 species of The Wildlife and Countryside Act
Redwing
Black and white and vivid red under tail. Male has red on back of head. Drums in spring, hammering bill on a tree trunk or branch. Conspicuous shary chinck call and undulating flight.
Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
a thickset heron with all-over bright, pale, buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and bars. It flies on broad, rounded, bowed wings. A secretive bird, very difficult to see, as it moves silently through reeds at water’s edge, looking for fish. The males make a remarkable far-carrying, booming sound in spring. It’s very small, reedbed-dependent population make it an Amber List species. It is also a Schedule 1 species.
Bittern
Smaller than a house sparrow and more active, with its tail often cocked. It has a chestnut brown head and nape (rather than grey) and white cheeks and collar with a contrasting black cheek spot. They are shyer than house sparrows in the UK and are rarely associated with people and more likely to occur in agricultural areas.
Tree sparrow
Passer montanus
Lapwing. Also known as the peewit in imitation of its display calls, its proper name describes its wavering flight. Its black and white appearance and round-winged shape in flight make it distinctive, even without its splendid crest. This familiar farmland bird has suffered significant declines recently and is now a Red List species
These handsome diving ducks belong to the sawbill family, so called because of their long, serrated bills, used for catching fish. Their diet of fish such as salmon and trout has brought them into conflict with game fishermen. At home on both fresh- and saltwater, red-breasted mergansers are most commonly seen around the UK’s coastline in winter. They are gregarious, forming flocks of several hundred in the autumn.
red-breasted merganser
Large pied corvid with a very long tail. Juvenile is short-tailed at first but unmistakable. Harsh chattering call
Magpie Pica pica
The mistle thrush is a pale, black-spotted thrush - large, aggressive, and powerful. It stands boldly upright and bounds across the ground. In-flight, it has long wings and its tail has whitish edges. It is most likely to be noticed perched high at the top of a tree, singing its fluty song or giving its rattling call in flight
Grey herons are unmistakeable: tall, with long legs, a long beak and grey, black and white feathering. They can stand with their neck stretched out, looking for food, or hunched down with their neck bent over their chest
Stock doves are similar in plumage and size to rock doves/feral pigeons. They are largely blue-grey with an attractive iridescent bottle green band on the back of the neck and a pink chest. In flight, they show black edges to the wing and two partial black bands near their back. Unlike rock doves/feral pigeons they do not have pale rumps.
They are widely distributed in the UK, except for parts of northern Scotland and Ireland, with particularly high densities in the English Midlands and South West. Over half their European population is found in the UK
a small, brown finch closely related to the linnet, but with a longer tail and stubbier bill. Its back is tawny, heavily streaked with dark brown and is white below with dark-brown streaks on its flanks. The rump is pink on males but brown on females. Like the linnet, it feeds on seeds year-round.
Twite
This is a big, colourful duck, bigger than a mallard but smaller than a goose. Both sexes have a dark green head and neck, a chestnut belly stripe and a red bill
Shellduck
A familiar and popular garden songbird whose numbers have declined markedly on farmland and in towns and cities. It’s smaller and browner than a mistle thrush with smaller spotting. Its habit of repeating song phrases distinguish it from singing blackbirds. It likes to eat snails which it breaks into by smashing them against a stone with a flick of the head.
Song thrush
white all over and young birds greyish with a pinkish bill. Compared to the similar whooper swan, these swans have proportionally more black and less yellow on their bill. They’re also smaller than both mute and whooper swans and have faster wingbeats. Bewick’s swans are a Schedule 1 species
Large raptor. Males are brown above and ginger underneath, with grey, black-tipped wings. Females are chocolate-brown with a golden-yellow crown and throat. Bouyant flight with wings held in deep V shape. Juvenile males similar to adult females. Was a summer visitor but now resident. Reedbeds and marshes.
Marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus
Shovelers are surface feeing ducks with huge spatulate bills. Males have dark green heads, with white breasts and chestnut flanks. Females are mottled brown. In flight birds show patches of light blue and green on their wings. In the UK they breed in southern and eastern England, especially around the Ouse Washes, the Humber and the North Kent Marshes and in much smaller numbers in Scotland and western parts of England. In winter, breeding birds move south, and are replaced by an influx of continental birds from further north.
The UK is home to more than 20 per cent of the NW European population, making it an Amber List species
Sparrow-sized but slim and with a long, deeply notched tail, the male has a black head, white collar and a drooping moustache. Females and winter males have a streaked head. In flight the tail looks black with broad, white edges
Reed bunting
The ancestor of most domestic geese, the greylag is the largest and bulkiest of the wild geese native to the UK and Europe. In many parts of the UK it has been re-established by releasing birds in suitable areas, but the resulting flocks (often mixed with Canada geese) found around gravel pits, lakes and reservoirs all year round in southern Britain tend to be semi-tame and uninspiring. The native birds and wintering flocks found in Scotland retain the special appeal of truly wild geese.
Greylag geese are listed in Schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, meaning they can be killed or taken outside of the close season
Rather shy bird that runs (doesnt hop) along the ground looking for food. Common in gardens. Grey head, streaky back and flanks, thin bill, orange-brown legs. Melodic song sometimes confused with robin
Dunnock Prunella modularis
The mallard is a large and heavy looking duck. It has a long body, and a long and broad bill. The male has a dark green head, a yellow bill, is mainly purple-brown on the breast and grey on the body. The female is mainly brown with an orange bill.
Mallards breed in all parts of the UK in summer and winter, wherever there are suitable wetland habitats, although it is scarcer in upland areas. In the UK, mallards may be resident breeders or migrants - many of the birds that breed in Iceland and northern Europe spend the winter here
The great crested grebe is a delightfully elegant waterbird with ornate head plumes which led to its being hunted for its feathers, almost leading to its extermination from the UK. They dive to feed and also to escape, preferring this to flying. On land they are clumsy because their feet are placed so far back on their bodies. They have an elaborate courtship display in which they rise out of the water and shake their heads. Very young grebes often ride on their parents’ backs
Slightly bigger than a mallard, these long-necked and small-headed ducks fly with a curved back pointed wings and a tapering tail, making this the best way to distinguish them from other ducks in the UK.
The pintail is a ‘quarry’ species, meaning that it can be legally shot in winter, but - unlike in parts of Europe - it does not appear that shooting is affecting their population status in the UK. The small breeding population and significant winter population make them an Amber List species
White wing bars distinguish it from other finches. Male is pink below with blue cap in summer. Female is duller. Thick seed-eating bill but slightly pointer than some other finches
Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
Small, lively, sociable and noisy birds common in urban areas. The male is streaked rusty-brown on his back with a grey forehead and black bib while the female is sandy-brown with a pale supercilium. They usually feed on the ground in large groups
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
The tundra bean goose is a species of bean goose that can be seen in the UK during the winter. It tends to be darker and browner than the other ‘grey geese’ species with orange legs and a darker head and neck. On average it is about 20 per cent smaller than the related taiga bean goose with similar but slightly darker plumage, a stockier body and shorter neck. The bill appears shorter and in most individuals, the yellow-orange patch is much smaller, covering less than half the bill.
It breeds in the Russian tundra and winters at coastal locations in Europe. The tundra bean goose is the commonest species of bean goose and it’s population is considered stable
a medium-sized wading bird. It has a long neck, a small head, a rather short slightly droopy bill and medium-long orange or reddish leg. In flight it shows a faint wing-stripe and oval white patches either side of the tail.
It breeds in a very few lowland sites in eastern England and it appears numbers are dropping. It is a migrant but in the UK some birds are present all year round. Many young birds from Scandinavia visit the UK in late summer, then migrating on to Africa. It is listed under Schedule 1 of The Wildlife and Countryside Act
Ruff
Dunlin. The commonest small wader found along the coast. It has a slightly down-curved bill and a distinctive black belly patch in breeding plumage. It feeds in flocks in winter, sometimes numbering thousands, roosting on nearby fields, saltmarshes and shore when the tide is high.
The little egret is a small white heron with attractive white plumes on crest, back and chest, black legs and bill and yellow feet. It first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996. Its colonization followed naturally from a range expansion into western and northern France in previous decades. It is now at home on numerous south coast sites, both as a breeding species and as a winter visitor
The golden plover is a medium-sized plover with a distinctive gold and black summer plumage. In winter the black in replaced by buff and white. They typically stand upright and run in short bursts. Very wary on the breeding grounds. In winter they form large flocks which fly in fairly tight formation with rapid, twinkling wingbeats
As the name suggests, the great white egret is a large, white heron. Great white egrets can look similar to little egrets, but they are much larger - the same size as the familiar grey heron. Other identification features to look out for include black feet (not yellow), yellow beak (in juvenile and non-breeding plumage) and a different fishing technique, more like that of the grey heron.
These handsome diving ducks are a member of the sawbill family, so called because of their long, serrated bills, used for catching fish. A largely freshwater bird, the goosander first bred in the UK in 1871. It built up numbers in Scotland and then since 1970 it has spread across northern England into Wales, reaching south-west England. Its love of salmon and trout has brought it into conflict with fishermen. It is gregarious, forming into flocks of several thousand in some parts of Europe
All-black and larger than its cousin, the moorhen, the Eurasian coot has a distinctive white beak and ‘shield’ above the beak which earns it the title ‘bald’. Its feet have distinctive lobed flaps of skin on the toes which act in the same way as webbed feet when swimming. It patters noisily over the water before taking off and can be very aggressive towards others
Scaup are diving ducks with a resemblance to tufted ducks. Males have black heads, shoulder and breast, white flanks, grey back and a black tail. Females are brown, with characteristic white patches around the base of the bill. In flight they show white patches along the length of the trailing edge of the wing. Only a handful breed in the UK every year, making them our rarest breeding duck
Not as colourful as some of its relatives, the coal tit has a distinctive grey back, black cap, and white patch at the back of its neck. Its smaller, more slender bill than blue or great tits means it can feed more successfully in conifers. A regular visitor to most feeders, they will take and store food for eating later.
In winter they join with other tits to form flocks which roam through woodlands and gardens in search of food
Great black-backed gull. A very large, thick-set black-backed gull, with a powerful beak. Adults are blacker than the smaller lesser black-backed gull. It has a heavy flight and can look quite hunched when perched. It will fight off other gulls and chase them to snatch food.
Fieldfares are large, colourful thrushes, much like a mistle thrush in general size, shape and behaviour. They stand very upright and move forward with purposeful hops. They are very social birds, spending the winter in flocks of anything from a dozen or two to several hundred strong. These straggling, chuckling flocks which roam the UK’s countryside are a delightful and attractive part of the winter scene.
The knot is a dumpy, short-legged, stocky wading bird. In winter, it is grey above and white below - in summer the chest, belly and face are brick-red. In flight, it shows a pale rump and a faint wing-stripe. It forms huge flocks in winter which wheel and turn in flight, flashing their pale underwings as they twist and turn.
Many knots use UK estuaries as feeding grounds, both on migration and in winter, and therefore the population is vulnerable to any changes such as barrages, sea-level rises and human disturbance. Large numbers of birds visit the UK in winter from their Arctic breeding grounds
The gadwall is a very grey-coloured dabbling duck, a little smaller than the mallard, and with an obvious black rear end. It shows a white wing patch in flight. When seen close up the grey colour is made up of exquisitely fine barring and speckling. It nests in low numbers in the UK and is an Amber List species
Smaller and distinctly slimmer than the moorhen, this species is a fairly common but highly secretive inhabitant of freshwater wetlands. It has chestnut-brown and black upperparts, grey face and underparts and black-and-white barred flanks, and a long red bill. Difficult to see in the breeding season, it is relatively easier to find in winter, when it is also more numerous and widespread. Although usually secretive they can become confident but are still far more often heard than seen
Water rail
Tiny, rusty brown. Pale line over eye and barred wings. Short, dry, irritated call and loud, strident song sometimes confused with robin and dunnock. Moves mouselike through undergrowth. Builds beautiful dome-shaped nest in nooks and crannies - hence its binomial name.
Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
Moorhens are blackish with a red and yellow beak and long, green legs. Seen closer-up, they have a dark brown back and wings and a more bluish-black belly, with white stripes on the flanks
Grey plover. In summer it has silver and black spotted upperparts, a black face, neck and belly. In winter, it loses the black feathers and takes on a browny-grey look. In both plumages, the rump is white and in flight in winter it shows distinctive black ‘armpits’. Like most plovers it stands very upright and tends to run and then suddenly stop to feed. It is generally seen in small numbers, although flocks can form when there is a high tide
a large white swan, bigger than a Bewick’s swan. It has a long thin neck, which it usually holds erect, and black legs. Its black bill has a large triangular patch of yellow on it.
It is mainly a winter visitor to the UK from Iceland, although a small number of pairs nest in the north. The estuaries and wetlands it visits on migration and for winter roosts need protection. Its winter population and small breeding numbers make it an Amber List species. It is a Schedule 1 listed bird
Whooper swan
The curlew is the largest European wading bird, instantly recognisable on winter estuaries or summer moors by its long, downcurved bill, brown upperparts, long legs and evocative call
The grey partridge is a medium-sized bird with a distinctive orange face. Flies with whirring wings and occasional glides, showing a chestnut tail. It is strictly a ground bird, never likely to be found in pear trees! Groups of 6-15 (known as coveys) are most usually seen outside the breeding season. Once very common and widespread, it has undergone serious declines throughout most of its range and is a Red List species
Medium-sized raptor. Brown plumage, broad wings and a short tail often seen soaring over the countryside with wings held in V shape or sitting on fence posts.
Common buzzard Buteo buteo
As its name suggests, redshanks’ most distinctive features are their bright orange-red legs. They have a medium-length bill with an orange base to match, brown speckled back and wings and paler belly
The little grebe is a small, dumpy grebe which often appears to have a ‘fluffy’ rear end. It readily dives when disturbed, surfacing unseen some distance away. In summer it has a bright chestnut throat and cheeks and a pale gape patch at the base of the bill. It can be noisy, with a distinctive whinnying trill
Bare, greyish-white face, thinner beak and peaked head make it distinguishable from the carrion crow. Rooks are very sociable birds and you’re not likely to see one on its own. They feed and roost in flocks in winter, often together with jackdaws
a small brown bird, somewhat larger than a sparrow but smaller than a starling. It is streaky brown with a small crest, which can be raised when the bird is excited or alarmed, and a white-sided tail. The wings also have a white rear edge, visible in flight. It is renowned for its display flight, vertically up in the air. Its recent and dramatic population declines make it a Red List species
Skylark
Medium sized owls with mottled brown bodies, pale under-wings and yellow eyes. They are commonly seen hunting during the day. Obvious dark carpal joint in flight. They are of European conservation concern and so are an Amber List species.
Short-eared owl Asio flammeus
A large and conspicuous waterbird, the cormorant has an almost primitive appearance with its long neck making it appear reptilian. It is often seen standing with its wings held out to dry. Regarded by some as black, sinister and greedy, cormorants are supreme fishers which can bring them into conflict with anglers and they have been persecuted in the past. The UK holds internationally important wintering numbers
The wigeon is a medium-sized duck with a round head and small bill. The head and neck of the male are chestnut, with a yellow forehead, pink breast and grey body. In flight birds show white bellies and males have a large white wing patch.
Wigeons breed in central and northern Scotland and also in northern England. Many birds visit the UK in winter from Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia. With large numbers of wintering birds at a few UK sites, it is an Amber List species
Pale greyish-sandy dove with a thin black collar. Dark-tipped wings with grey panel. Monotonous triple call. First bred in the UK in the 1950s.
Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
Smaller than a redshank, turnstones have a mottled appearance with brown or chestnut and black upperparts and brown and white or black and white head pattern, whilst their underparts are white and legs orange. They spend most of their time creeping and fluttering over rocks, picking out food from under stones.
Canada goose. A large goose, with a distinctive black head and neck and large white throat patch. An introduced species from North America, it has successfully spread to cover most of the UK. It forms noisy flocks and is often regarded as a nuisance in areas where large numbers occur on amenity grassland and parks
Males are a pale grey colour, females and immatures are brown with a white rump and a long, barred tail which give them the name ‘ringtail’. They fly with wings held in a shallow ‘V’, gliding low in search of food, which mainly consists of meadow pipits and voles. They are listed as a Schedule 1 species under The Wildlife and Countryside Act
Hen harrier Circus cyaneus
The treecreeper is small, very active, bird that lives in trees. It has a long, slender, downcurved bill. It is speckly brown above and mainly white below. It breeds in the UK and is resident here. Birds leave their breeding territories in autumn but most range no further than 20 km. Its population is mainly stable
Small falcon often seen hovering over grassland, heathland, motorway verges, and sometimes towns. Grey head, grey tail with dark banding, gingery-brown back, and a creamy, speckled underside
Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
Medium sized falcon. Slate-grey above and white below, with black bars underneath, a white throat and cheeks, and a black moustache and mask. Pointed wings but relatively shorter tail than other UK falcons. Coastal cliffs and some towns in North and South West England, Wales and Scotland.
Peregrine Falco peregrinus
a plump bird about the size of a great tit that resembles a small woodpecker. It is blue-grey above and whitish below, with chestnut on its sides and under its tail. It has a black stripe on its head, a long black pointed bill and short legs.
It breeds throughout England and Wales and has recently began to breed in southern Scotland. It is a resident, with birds seldom travelling far from the woods where they hatch
Nuthatch
a delightful small, long-tailed and rather sprightly black and white bird. When not standing and frantically wagging its tail up and down it can be seen dashing about over lawns or car parks in search of food.
It frequently calls when in its undulating flight and often gathers at dusk to form large roosts in city centres
Pied wagtail
The sanderling is a small, plump, energetic wading bird. It has a short straight black bill and medium length black legs. It is pale grey above and white underneath, and there is a black mark at its shoulder where the folded wing meets the body. It does not breed in the UK, but is a winter visitor and passage migrant in spring and autumn, journeying to and from their high Arctic breeding grounds
This swan is a very large white waterbird. It has a long S-shaped neck and an orange bill with a black base and a black knob. It flies with its neck extended and regular, slow wingbeats.
The population in the UK has increased recently, perhaps due to better protection of this species. The problem of lead poisoning on lowland rivers has also largely been solved by a ban on the sale of lead fishing weights. Some birds stay in their territories all year, while others move short distances and form winter flocks. In cold weather, some birds arrive from Europe into eastern England
Mute swan
Stout pale pinkish bill, drab to bright green body, yellow on wings and tail. Female has slightly less yellow than male. Nasal song but flutty in flight.
Greenfinch Chloris chloris
Teals are small dabbling ducks. Males have chestnut coloured heads with broad green eye-patches, a spotted chest, grey flanks and a black edged yellow tail. Females are mottled brown. Both show bright green wing patches (speculum) in flight. They are thinly distributed as a breeding species with a preference for northern moors and mires.
In winter, birds congregate in low-lying wetlands in the south and west of the UK. Of these, many are continental birds from around the Baltic and Siberia. At this time, the UK is home to a significant percentage of the NW European wintering population making it an Amber List species
Large pigeon with white on neck, pink breast and white marks on wings. Takes off with a clatter of wings. Deep chest noticeable in flight. Song similar to other UK pigoens but characterised by 5 warm moohoo notes
Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus
The tufted duck is a medium-sized diving duck, smaller than a mallard. It is black on the head, neck, breast and back and white on the sides. It has a small crest and a yellow eye. In flight it shows an obvious white stripe across the back of the wing. It breeds in the UK across lowland areas of England, Scotland and Ireland, but less commonly in Wales, with most birds being residents. Numbers increase in the UK in winter because of birds moving to the UK from Iceland and northern Europe
Small hawk. Males have blue-grey backs and white underparts with orange barring and yellow eye. Females are brown above, with grey barring underneath. Short broad wings and long tail.
Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
In winter and spring, male pochards are very distinctive. They have a bright reddish-brown head, a black breast and tail and a pale grey body. Females are more easily confused with other species; they are brown with a greyish body and pale cheeks.
However, during the ‘eclipse’ - when ducks grow new feathers - the males look very similar to the females. They become more camouflaged so that they don’t draw the attention of predator
The grey wagtail is more colourful than its name suggests with slate grey upper parts and distinctive lemon yellow under-tail. Its tail is noticeably longer than those of pied and yellow wagtails. They have gradually increased their range in the past 150 years and in the UK have expanded into the English lowlands from the northern and western uplands
Blackish, glossy plumage, heavily spotted white in winter. Short-tailed, smaller than blackbirds. Good mimic of other birds and mechanical sounds. Often form large flocks in autumn/winter called murmurations
Starling Sturnus vulgaris
This is a small, black crow with a distinctive silvery sheen to the back of its head. The pale eyes are also noticeable. The jackdaw call is a familiar hard ‘tchack’ from which it gets its name. It will commonly nest in chimneys, buildings, rock crevices and tree holes
Not really a black-headed bird, more chocolate-brown - in fact, for much of the year, it has a white head. It is most definitely not a ‘seagull’ and is found commonly almost anywhere inland. Black-headed gulls are sociable, quarrelsome, noisy birds, usually seen in small groups or flocks, often gathering into larger parties where there is plenty of food, or when they are roosting
Cocky bold birds with plain brown backs, orange-red faces and bibs edged with grey. They are territorial even in winter and sing loudly from perches to keep away rival birds
Robin Erithacus rubecula
Striking colours but white rump most obvious feature, especially in flight. Blue on wing less easy to see. Loud raucous squawk. Conspicuous undulating flight often seen in autumn caching acorns. Usually secretive
Jay Garrulus glandarius
The common gull looks like a small, gentler version of the herring gull, with greenish legs and a yellow bill. Despite its name, it is not at all common in most inland areas, though it can be abundant on the coast and in some eastern counties. They are now seen more often in towns and on housing estates in winter
A small, brown, streaky bird, the meadow pipit is the most common songbird in upland areas. Its high, piping call is a familiar sound. In flight it shows white outer tail feathers and in the breeding season it has a fluttering ‘parachute’ display flight. In winter, they are quite gregarious and gather in small flocks, often invisible among the vegetation, suddenly flying up with typical jerky flight.
Meadow pipit numbers in the UK have been declining since the mid-1970s, resulting in this species being included on the amber list of conservation concern
Slightly smaller than a herring gull, the lesser black-backed gull has a dark grey to black back and wings, yellow bill and yellow legs. Their world population is found entirely in Europe. After declines in the 19th century due to persecution they increased their range and numbers. This expansion has now halted and there is serious concern about declines in many parts of its range. The species is on the Amber List because the UK is home to 40 per cent of the European population and more than half of these are found at fewer than ten sites
In summer, they have bright orangey-brown chests and bellies, but in winter they’re more greyish-brown.
Their most distinctive features are their long beaks and legs, and the black and white stripes on their wings. Female black-tailed godwits are bigger and heavier than the males, with a noticeably longer beak (which helps the sexes to avoid competing for food with each other).
Kingfishers are small unmistakable bright blue and orange birds of slow moving or still water. They fly rapidly, low over water, and hunt fish from riverside perches, occasionally hovering above the water’s surface. They are vulnerable to hard winters and habitat degradation through pollution or unsympathetic management of watercourses. Kingfishers are amber listed because of their unfavourable conservation status in Europe. They are also listed as a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act offering them additional protection
The ringed plover is a small, dumpy, short-legged wading bird. It is brownish grey above and whitish below. It has a orange bill, tipped with black, orange legs and a black-and-white pattern on its head and breast. In flight, it shows a broad, white wing-stripe.
They breed on beaches around the coast, but they have also now begun breeding inland in sand and gravel pits and former industrial sites. Many UK birds live here all year round, but birds from Europe winter in Britain, and birds from Greenland and Canada pass through on migration
A large, stocky, black and white wading bird. It has a long, orange-red bill and reddish-pink legs. In flight it shows a wide, white wing-stripe, a black tail and a white rump that extends as a ‘V’ between the wings.
Because it eats cockles, the population is vulnerable if cockle beds are overexploited.
They breed on almost all UK coasts. During the last 50 years, more birds have started breeding inland. Most UK birds spend the winter on the coast where they are joined on the east coast by birds from Norway
Oystercatcher
Jack snipes are smaller than snipe, with a shorter bill. It is a secretive bird and when approached it tends to crouch down, relying on its camouflaged plumage, only flying at the last minute. It will fly low and rapidly drop down again, unlike snipes which zig-zag and then flies off high. When feeding it has a characteristic ‘bouncing’ motion, as if on a spring.
Small, pink, black, and white with long, black tail. Usually in small groups flying “follow my leader” style from shrub to shrub. Looks like a flying spoon. Complex high pitched chattery song and call.
Long-Tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus
