Learn about birds

• What's that bird?
• Crows, jackdaws and such
• House sparrow vs dunnock
• Starling vs blackbird
• Telling gulls apart

What's that bird?

Not sure what you're going to see on your birdwatch? To help you, we've listed the top 20 birds seen in school grounds during Big Schools' Birdwatch 2012.

And if you're still not sure what bird you've seen, check out our bird identifier.

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 brown and grey bird, dunnocks are quiet and unobtrusive. You'll often see one on its own, creeping along the edge of a flower bed or near to a bush, moving with a rather nervous, shuffling gait, often flicking its wings as it goes.

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.

Herring gull Herring gulls are large and noisy. Adults have light grey backs, white under parts, and black wing tips with white 'mirrors'. Their legs are pink, with webbed feet and they have heavy, slightly hooked bills marked with a red spot.

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.

Ours is a special school for children with epilepsy, autism and learning difficulties. Looking for birds is a great way to focus the pupil's attention. One of the boys (age 10) remembered many of the birds from last year. We had a great time listening to the birds.

Special Needs Teacher, Hertfordshire

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.

Feral pigeon Feral pigeons, confusingly, come in all shades, some bluer, others blacker - some are pale grey with darker chequered markings, others an unusual shade of dull brick-red or cinnamon-brown. However, they are very sociable birds, so you'll most often see them hanging around together in flocks.

Rook 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.

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.