Great tit, Parus major. The largest UK tit – green and yellow with a striking glossy black head with white cheeks and a distinctive two-syllable song. It is a woodland bird which has readily adapted to man-made habitats to become a familiar garden visitor. It can be quite aggressive at a bird table, fighting off smaller tits. In winter it joins […]
Greenfinch, Carduelis chloris. Its twittering and wheezing song, and flash of yellow and green as it flies, make this finch a truly colourful character. It is a regular garden visitor, able to take advantage of food in urban gardens. Although quite sociable, they may squabble among themselves or with other birds at the bird table. Populations declined during the late […]
Grey wagtail, Motacilla cinerea. The species looks similar to the yellow wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted to the throat and vent. The grey is associated with its back and head. Breeding males have a black throat. They are usually seen on open marshy ground or meadows capturing ground insects. Like other wagtails, they frequently wag their tail. On […]
Jay, Garrulus glandarius. Although they are the most colourful members of the crow family, jays are actually quite difficult to see. They are shy woodland birds, rarely moving far from cover. The screaming call usually lets you know a jay is about and it is usually given when a bird is on the move, so watch for a bird flying between […]
Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus. Once a familiar sight, numbers of kestrels have declined and are now rarely seen. This is probably due to the loss of open grassland areas and woodland edge habitats as the woodlands have been allowed to develop unchecked. Hunting birds such as the kestrel hover over open ground to find their prey. Creating more open patches of ground would give more opportunities for […]
Lesser redpoll, Carduelis cabaret. This tiny finch – only slightly bigger than a blue tit – is streaky and brown with patches of red on its head and sometimes its breast. They like to hang upside down to feed in trees. It has recently been ‘split’ from the mealy (or common) redpoll, a larger and paler species which is a winter […]
Longtailed tit, Aegithalos caudatus. The long-tailed tit is easily recognisable with its distinctive colouring, a tail that is bigger than its body, and undulating flight. Gregarious and noisy residents, long-tailed tits are most usually noticed in small, excitable flocks of about 20 birds. Like most tits, they rove the woods and hedgerows, but are also seen on heaths and commons with […]
Magpie, Pica pica. With its noisy chattering, black-and-white plumage and long tail, there is nothing else quite like the magpie in the UK. When seen close-up its black plumage takes on an altogether more colourful hue with a purplish-blue iridescent sheen to the wing feathers, and a green gloss to the tail. Magpies seem to be jacks of all trades – […]
Nuthatch, Sitta europaea. The nuthatch is 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 in central and southern England and […]
Robin, Erithacus rubecula. The UK’s favourite bird – with its bright red breast it is familiar throughout the year and especially at Christmas! Males and females look identical, and young birds have no red breast and are spotted with golden brown. Robins sing nearly all year round and despite their cute appearance, they are aggressively territorial and are quick to drive away […]
