Learning about birds

What's that bird?

For more information about any of these birds, use the links at the bottom of this page.

Blackbird

The male blackbird is black with a bright yellow bill, while the female is brown. Blackbirds have a long tail and often hop along the ground with their tail up. In winter, migrant blackbirds from northern Europe join our resident birds.

Black-headed gull

A small white gull with a light grey back, red beak and legs. In winter black-headed gulls have a white head with a black spot behind the eye. These gulls only get their black head in summer.

Blue tit

An agile bird, the blue tit is most often seen flitting onto bird feeders. It is a small, sky blue and yellow bird with white cheeks and a dark eye stripe. In winter, family flocks of blue tits are joined by great tits, long-tailed tits and other woodland species, as they search for food.

Carrion crow

The all-black carrion crow is one of the cleverest, most adaptable of our birds. Carrion crows will come to school grounds for food and although often cautious initially, they soon learn when it is safe, and will return repeatedly to take advantage of whatever is on offer.

Chaffinch

Usually seen feeding on the ground. Both male and female chaffinches have black and white wings, and a green rump. The male has a pinky face and breast and a blue-grey crown, while the female is a sandy brown. In winter, migrant chaffinches from Scandinavia and Northern Europe join our resident birds.

Coal tit

Coal tits have black heads with white cheeks and a white stripe on the back of their heads. An active and very agile bird, these tits are often found in flocks with other small birds feeding in woods and hedgerows, as well as from feeders.

Collared dove

This dove is mainly buff coloured with a thin, black half collar, and a long, white tail with a black base. Collared doves originally came from southern Asia and spread from there to the extreme south-east of Europe. They were first recorded in Britain in 1953 and since have become a common garden bird throughout Great Britain and Ireland.

Common gull

Common gulls look like small, gentler versions of herring gulls. They have greenish legs and a yellow bill. Despite its name, it is not at all common in some inland areas, though often abundant on the coast and in some eastern counties. In winter, these gulls are often seen in towns and on housing estates.

Dunnock

A small, easily overlooked bird, the dunnock creeps around under bushes in a mouse-like way. It has a brown back with black markings and a grey face and breast and a slender beak. Dunnocks are sedentary, rarely moving more than one kilometre from where they hatched.

Great tit

Bigger than the blue tit, the great tit has a black and white head, green back, bright yellow breast with a bold, black stripe running down it. The black breast stripe is wider on the male. In winter, family flocks of great tits are joined by blue tits, long-tailed tits and other woodland species as they search for food.

Greenfinch

Male greenfinches are green with yellow patches on the wings, a forked tail and a stout beak. The females are browner and may look like a female house sparrow until she flies and shows off the yellow in her tail and wings. Greenfinches will feed from nut feeders.

House sparrow

House sparrows are often seen in small flocks. Males have a grey crown, black bib, reddish-brown back streaked with black, and grey breast and belly, while females have brown, streaky backs and are buff below. House sparrows are sedentary, rarely moving more than two kilometres from their birthplace.

Jackdaw

A small black crow with a grey neck and pale eyes. Jackdaws are sociable and usually seen in pairs or larger groups. It is quite an acrobatic flier and flocks will often chase and tumble together in flight.

Magpie

From a distance magpies appear black and white, although close up a subtle blue and green sheen can be seen. In winter, this large bird with a long tail is often seen in small groups. They are sedentary and rarely move more than one kilometre from their birthplace.

Pied wagtail

A delightful, small, long-tailed black and white bird. When not standing and frantically wagging its tail up and down, pied wagtails can be seen dashing about over lawns or car parks in search of food.

Robin

With their bright, orange-red breast, brown back and dumpy shape, robins are a familiar garden bird. Robins are the only garden birds to sing throughout the winter, with both males and females holding winter territories. In winter, some robins migrate from Europe to the UK.

Song thrush

Song thrushes have a brown head, back and tail, with pale underparts with dark brown, streaky spots. Although still a common garden bird, numbers of this thrush are declining at an alarming rate.

Starling

Starlings are noisy characters usually seen foraging in small flocks. At a distance, starlings look black, but close up you can see they have green and purple, glossy feathers, covered in white and buff spots. In winter, migrant starlings from northern Europe join the resident birds and form huge flocks at regular roosts.

Woodpigeon

Woodpigeons are the largest of the pigeon family. They have a small, round, grey head, greyish back, tail and wings with a pink breast and white neck patch. In flight they have distinctive white wing patches and the tail has a dark band at the end.

Wren

One of our smallest birds, wrens are tiny, dumpy and energetic. Brown with thin beak and short neck, they look like a small brown ball. Wrens can often be seen flicking and cocking their tails searching for food under cover of hedges and vegetation.