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  • Snowy Egret - Egretta thula. Adult in breeding plumage calling
    133554.jpg
  • Bullfinch - Pyrrhula pyrrhula - female L 16-17cm. Unobtrusive finch whose call and white rump are distinctive. Bill is stubby and dark. Sexes are separable. Adult male has a rosy-pink face, breast and belly. Back and nape are blue-grey and cap and tail are black. Note white wingbar on otherwise black wings. Adult female is similar but duller. Juvenile is similar to adult female but head is uniformly buffish brown. Voice Utters a soft piping call; pair sometimes duets. Song is quiet and seldom heard. Status Fairly common resident of woodlands, hedgerows and mature gardens.
    157521.jpg
  • Wren Troglodytes troglodytes L 9-10cm. Tiny, dumpy bird that cocks tail upright. Unobtrusive and often creeps through low vegetation. Call is distinctive. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have dark reddish brown upperparts with barring on wings and tail. Underparts are greyish white with buff wash to flanks; note striking, pale supercilium. Bill is needle-like and legs are reddish. Voice Utters a loud, rattling alarm call; warbling song ends in a trill. Status Widespread resident of all sorts of habitats with dense undergrowth.
    133100.jpg
  • Wren Troglodytes troglodytes L 9-10cm. Tiny, dumpy bird that cocks tail upright. Unobtrusive and often creeps through low vegetation. Call is distinctive. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have dark reddish brown upperparts with barring on wings and tail. Underparts are greyish white with buff wash to flanks; note striking, pale supercilium. Bill is needle-like and legs are reddish. Voice Utters a loud, rattling alarm call; warbling song ends in a trill. Status Widespread resident of all sorts of habitats with dense undergrowth.
    133621.jpg
  • Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus L 43cm. Distinctive wader with striking black and white plumage and loud alarm call. Powerful bill used to hammer molluscs off rocks. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has black upperparts and white underparts with clear demarcation between the two on breast. Note red bill, pinkish legs and beady red eye. In winter, similar but note white half-collar. Juvenile is similar to summer adult but black elements of plumage are brownish and bill and leg colours are subdued. Voice Utters a loud, piping peep call. Status Breeds commonly on coast and beside inland lakes and rivers in N. Mainly coastal in winter, favouring estuaries and mudflats.
    136009.jpg
  • Wren Troglodytes troglodytes L 9-10cm. Tiny, dumpy bird that cocks tail upright. Unobtrusive and often creeps through low vegetation. Call is distinctive. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have dark reddish brown upperparts with barring on wings and tail. Underparts are greyish white with buff wash to flanks; note striking, pale supercilium. Bill is needle-like and legs are reddish. Voice Utters a loud, rattling alarm call; warbling song ends in a trill. Status Widespread resident of all sorts of habitats with dense undergrowth.
    136123.jpg
  • Curlew Numenius arquata L 53-58cm. Large, distinctive wader with a long, downcurved bill. Call is evocative of lonely, windswept uplands during spring and summer, and coasts in winter. Sexes are similar although male has shorter bill than female. Adult has mainly grey-brown plumage, streaked and spotted on neck and underparts; belly is rather pale. Juvenile is similar but it looks overall more buffish brown, with fine streaks on neck and breast and appreciably shorter bill. Voice Utters a characteristic curlew call and bubbling song on breeding grounds. Status Locally common breeding species on N and upland habitats. Almost exclusively coastal outside breeding season.
    139513.jpg
  • Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus L 30cm. Similar to Redshank but with longer legs and bill. In flight, note uniform upperwings (no white trailing edge) and distinctive flight call. Often feeds in deep water and swims sometimes. Sexes are similar. Adult in breeding plumage (seen in late spring and summer) is mainly black with white eyering and dotted white fringes to back feathers; incomplete breeding plumage is more typically observeed. In winter, has pale grey upperparts and clean, whitish underparts. Legs are reddish and note pale supercilium. Juvenile recalls winter adult but plumage is overall darker and underparts are barred; legs are orange-yellow. Voice Utters a diagnostic tchewit call. Status Regular but scarce passage migrant; winters in small numbers on estuaries mainly in S.
    142256.jpg
  • Wren Troglodytes troglodytes L 9-10cm. Tiny, dumpy bird that cocks tail upright. Unobtrusive and often creeps through low vegetation. Call is distinctive. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have dark reddish brown upperparts with barring on wings and tail. Underparts are greyish white with buff wash to flanks; note striking, pale supercilium. Bill is needle-like and legs are reddish. Voice Utters a loud, rattling alarm call; warbling song ends in a trill. Status Widespread resident of all sorts of habitats with dense undergrowth.
    143024.jpg
  • Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus L 21-23cm. Plump-bodied wader with a bobbing gait. Unobtrusive and often first observed when flushed: note white rump and yelping alarm call. Tail is marked with a few, broad dark bands. Sexes are similar. Adult has rather dark brown upperparts with small pale spots. Head and neck are streaked; note clear demarcation between dark, streaked breast and clean white underparts. Pale supercilium is bold only in front of eye and legs are greenish yellow. Juvenile is similar but pale spotting on upperparts is more noticeable. Voice Utters a trisyllabic chlueet-wit-wit flight call. Status Widespread and fairly common passage migrant, found on freshwater habitats. Winters in small numbers.
    143037.jpg
  • Redshank Tringa totanus L 28cm. Medium-sized wader with shrill alarm call. In flight, note white trailing edge to wings, white back and rump, and trailing red legs. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer is mainly grey-brown above and pale below but back is marked with dark spots and neck, breast and flanks are streaked. Note faint, pale supercilium and eyering; base of bill is reddish. In winter, has uniform grey-brown upperparts, head, neck and breast, with paler, mottled underparts. Bill and leg colours are dull. Juvenile recalls winter adult but plumage is overall browner, back feathers have pale marginal spots, and legs and base of bill are dull yellow. Voice Utters a yelping tiu-uu alarm call. Song is musical and yodelling. Status Locally common nesting species in damp grassland, moors and marshes. Migrants boost numbers outside breeding season and common on coasts in winter.
    143362.jpg
  • Redshank Tringa totanus L 28cm. Medium-sized wader with shrill alarm call. In flight, note white trailing edge to wings, white back and rump, and trailing red legs. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer is mainly grey-brown above and pale below but back is marked with dark spots and neck, breast and flanks are streaked. Note faint, pale supercilium and eyering; base of bill is reddish. In winter, has uniform grey-brown upperparts, head, neck and breast, with paler, mottled underparts. Bill and leg colours are dull. Juvenile recalls winter adult but plumage is overall browner, back feathers have pale marginal spots, and legs and base of bill are dull yellow. Voice Utters a yelping tiu-uu alarm call. Song is musical and yodelling. Status Locally common nesting species in damp grassland, moors and marshes. Migrants boost numbers outside breeding season and common on coasts in winter.
    143367.jpg
  • Curlew Numenius arquata L 53-58cm. Large, distinctive wader with a long, downcurved bill. Call is evocative of lonely, windswept uplands during spring and summer, and coasts in winter. Sexes are similar although male has shorter bill than female. Adult has mainly grey-brown plumage, streaked and spotted on neck and underparts; belly is rather pale. Juvenile is similar but it looks overall more buffish brown, with fine streaks on neck and breast and appreciably shorter bill. Voice Utters a characteristic curlew call and bubbling song on breeding grounds. Status Locally common breeding species on N and upland habitats. Almost exclusively coastal outside breeding season.
    145806.jpg
  • Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus L 43cm. Distinctive wader with striking black and white plumage and loud alarm call. Powerful bill used to hammer molluscs off rocks. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has black upperparts and white underparts with clear demarcation between the two on breast. Note red bill, pinkish legs and beady red eye. In winter, similar but note white half-collar. Juvenile is similar to summer adult but black elements of plumage are brownish and bill and leg colours are subdued. Voice Utters a loud, piping peep call. Status Breeds commonly on coast and beside inland lakes and rivers in N. Mainly coastal in winter, favouring estuaries and mudflats.
    158074.jpg
  • Redshank Tringa totanus L 28cm. Medium-sized wader with shrill alarm call. In flight, note white trailing edge to wings, white back and rump, and trailing red legs. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer is mainly grey-brown above and pale below but back is marked with dark spots and neck, breast and flanks are streaked. Note faint, pale supercilium and eyering; base of bill is reddish. In winter, has uniform grey-brown upperparts, head, neck and breast, with paler, mottled underparts. Bill and leg colours are dull. Juvenile recalls winter adult but plumage is overall browner, back feathers have pale marginal spots, and legs and base of bill are dull yellow. Voice Utters a yelping tiu-uu alarm call. Song is musical and yodelling. Status Locally common nesting species in damp grassland, moors and marshes. Migrants boost numbers outside breeding season and common on coasts in winter.
    158066.jpg
  • Oystercatcher in flight - Haematopus palliatus. L 43cm. Distinctive wader with striking black and white plumage and loud alarm call. Powerful bill used to hammer molluscs off rocks. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has black upperparts and white underparts with clear demarcation between the two on breast. Note red bill, pinkish legs and beady red eye. In winter, similar but note white half-collar. Juvenile is similar to summer adult but black elements of plumage are brownish and bill and leg colours are subdued. Voice Utters a loud, piping peep call. Status Breeds commonly on coast and beside inland lakes and rivers in N. Mainly coastal in winter, favouring estuaries and mudflats.
    153776.jpg
  • Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata (L 12-13cm), often seen perched on a Gorse spray with its tail cocked up, is emblematic of heathland conservation. Adults have blue-grey upperparts, reddish underparts with a white belly, a beady red eye and reddish eyering, and pinkish yellow legs; males are brighter than females. The species is often first detected by sound: it utters a tchrr-tche alarm call and has a rapid, scratchy warbling song. Dartford Warblers are restricted to Gorse-covered heathland areas in southern England and are mainly resident.
    133586.jpg
  • Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus L 16-17cm. Well-marked bunting. Olive-grey rump allows separation from Yellowhammer (with red-brown rump) at all times. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has black and yellow on head. Breast, nape and crown are greenish grey and underparts are yellow, flushed and streaked chestnut on flanks; back is reddish brown. In winter, colours are duller. Adult female has dark and yellowish stripes on head, streaked greenish grey crown, nape and breast and streaked yellowish underparts. Back is reddish brown. Juvenile is similar to adult female but paler. Voice Utters a sharp tziip call. Song is a tuneless rattle, recalling Lesser Whitethroat. Status Once widespread in S, now restricted to S Devon; recently reintroduced to Cornwall. Favours low-intensity farmland with hedgerows.
    139736.jpg
  • Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides L 14-15cm. Reedbed specialist that is hard to see. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniformly warm brown upperparts. Underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast and flanks; undertail coverts are warm buffish brown. Voice Call is a sharp tviit. Song is reeling, endless and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Status to extensive wet reedbeds, mainly in East Anglia and Kent.
    143100.jpg
  • Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides L 14-15cm. Reedbed specialist that is hard to see. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniformly warm brown upperparts. Underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast and flanks; undertail coverts are warm buffish brown. Voice Call is a sharp tviit. Song is reeling, endless and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Status to extensive wet reedbeds, mainly in East Anglia and Kent.
    143101.jpg
  • Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus L 12-13cm. Well-marked wetland warbler with distinctive song. Sexes are similar. Adult has dark-streaked sandy brown upperparts and pale underparts, flushed orange-buff on breast and flanks. Head has dark-streaked crown, striking pale supercilium and dark eyestripe. Juvenile is similar but breast is faintly streaked. Voice Utters a sharp chek alarm call. Song comprises rasping and grating phrases interspersed with trills and whistles. Status Widespread summer visitor to rank marshy vegetation, scrub patches on fringes of reedbeds and overgrown ditches.
    143753.jpg
  • Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus L 12-13cm. Well-marked wetland warbler with distinctive song. Sexes are similar. Adult has dark-streaked sandy brown upperparts and pale underparts, flushed orange-buff on breast and flanks. Head has dark-streaked crown, striking pale supercilium and dark eyestripe. Juvenile is similar but breast is faintly streaked. Voice Utters a sharp chek alarm call. Song comprises rasping and grating phrases interspersed with trills and whistles. Status Widespread summer visitor to rank marshy vegetation, scrub patches on fringes of reedbeds and overgrown ditches.
    139806.jpg
  • Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus - Summer Adult. L 36-38cm. Similar to Black-headed but has stouter bill; adult has uniformly pale wings. Sexes are similar. Adult in summer has pale grey back and wing coverts, and white flight feathers. Note black hood and white ‘eyelids’; bill is mainly red, with yellow tip and black sub-terminal band. Legs are deep red. In winter, loses dark hood; whitish head has menacing look created by dark smudges. Juvenile has grey-brown upperparts with pale margins to back feathers. Note darkish flush on breast. Bill and legs are dark; tail has dark terminal band. 1st winter bird is similar to juvenile but with plain grey back and dark smudges on head. Adult plumage is acquired by 3rd winter. 2nd year bird resembles adult (at respective times of year) but with variable black in wingtips. Voice Utters cow-cow-cow call. Status Very locally common, usually with Black-headeds. Small numbers nest in S England. More widespread outside breeding season.
    157417.jpg
  • Grey Partridge Perdix perdix L 29-31cm. Well-marked gamebird. Usually seen in small parties. Hunted and consequently wary; prefers to run from danger. Sexes are separable with care. Adult male has mainly grey, finely marked plumage with orange-buff face, large chestnut mark on belly, maroon stripes on flanks and streaked back. Adult female is similar but marking on belly is small. Juvenile is grey-buff with hint of adult’s dark markings. Voice Utters a choked, harsh kierr-ikk call. Status Native of grassland and arable farmland with mature hedgerows. Once abundant, now scarce due to modern farming methods. Observation tips Easiest to see in winter.
    157157.jpg
  • Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides L 14-15cm. Reedbed specialist that is hard to see. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniformly warm brown upperparts. Underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast and flanks; undertail coverts are warm buffish brown. Voice Call is a sharp tviit. Song is reeling, endless and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Status to extensive wet reedbeds, mainly in East Anglia and Kent.
    157139.jpg
  • Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus. L 64-79cm. Our largest gull species. Bulkier than Lesser Black-backed, adult with darker back, massive bill and pink legs. Sexes are similar. Adult has almost uniformly dark back and upperwings; wingtips only marginally darker than rest of wings. Note white patch at tip of wings and broad white trailing edge. Plumage is otherwise white. Bill is yellow with an orange spot. Juvenile and 1st winter are mottled and streaked grey brown. In flight, brown upperwings have pale panels and inner primaries. Bill is dark, legs are dull pink and whitish tail is dark-tipped. Adult plumage acquired over 3 years. Voice Utters a deep kaa-ga-ga call. Status Local and coastal in the breeding season. Often nests in vicinity of mixed seabird colonies and pairs are territorial. Outside breeding season, more widespread inland and numbers boosted by migrants from N Europe.
    156922.jpg
  • Blackbird - Turdus merula - Male. L 25-28cm. Familiar ground-dwelling bird. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has uniformly blackish plumage. Legs are dark but bill and eyering are yellow. 1st winter male is similar but bill is dark and eyering is dull. Adult and 1st winter female are brown, darkest on wings and tail, and palest on throat and streaked breast. Juvenile is similar to adult female but marked with pale spots. Voice Utters harsh and repeated tchak alarm call, often at dusk. Male has rich, fluty and varied song. Status Common and widespread in gardens, but in woodland, farmland and coasts. Upland birds move to lower levels in winter and migrants arrive from Europe.
    156286.jpg
  • Rook Corvus frugilegus L 43-48cm. Familiar farmland bird. Feeds in large flocks (mainly on soil invertebrates) and occupies noisy colonial tree nest sites. Sexes are similar. Adult has black plumage with reddish-purple sheen. Bill is long, narrow and rather pointed; note bare patch of whitish skin at base. Juvenile is similar but skin at base of bill is feathered. Voice Utters a grating craah-craah-craah… call. Status Locally common resident, found mainly on farmland and grassland. Builds large twig nests in clumps of tall trees.
    155805.jpg
  • Rook Corvus frugilegus L 43-48cm. Familiar farmland bird. Feeds in large flocks (mainly on soil invertebrates) and occupies noisy colonial tree nest sites. Sexes are similar. Adult has black plumage with reddish-purple sheen. Bill is long, narrow and rather pointed; note bare patch of whitish skin at base. Juvenile is similar but skin at base of bill is feathered. Voice Utters a grating craah-craah-craah… call. Status Locally common resident, found mainly on farmland and grassland. Builds large twig nests in clumps of tall trees.
    155743.jpg
  • Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra L 16-18cm. Plump-bodied bunting with non-descript plumage but distinctive song. Dangles legs when flying short distances. Forms flocks in winter. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have streaked brown upperparts and whitish underparts, streaked on breast and flanks, and flushed buff on breast. Bill is stout and pinkish buff. Voice Utters a tsit call. Jingling song is sung from fencepost or overhead wire. Status Local and declining bird of cereal fields, particularly barley. Has suffered terribly from modern farming practises.
    155614.jpg
  • Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti L 14cm - cut-out of nest. Unobtrusive wetland warbler whose loud song is heard more than bird is seen. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have dark reddish brown upperparts, including tail. Underparts are pale: has whitish throat, grey face and breast, grey-buff belly. Legs are reddish and bill is dark-tipped. Voice Utters a loud pluut call. Song is explosive chee, chippi-chippi-chippi. Most vocal in spring but snatches of song are heard at other times. Status Recent colonist, now a local resident of scrubby margins of marshes and clumps of bushes in extensive reedbeds.
    155546.jpg
  • Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra L 16-18cm. Plump-bodied bunting with non-descript plumage but distinctive song. Dangles legs when flying short distances. Forms flocks in winter. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have streaked brown upperparts and whitish underparts, streaked on breast and flanks, and flushed buff on breast. Bill is stout and pinkish buff. Voice Utters a tsit call. Jingling song is sung from fencepost or overhead wire. Status Local and declining bird of cereal fields, particularly barley. Has suffered terribly from modern farming practises.
    155378.jpg
  • Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra L 16-18cm. Plump-bodied bunting with non-descript plumage but distinctive song. Dangles legs when flying short distances. Forms flocks in winter. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have streaked brown upperparts and whitish underparts, streaked on breast and flanks, and flushed buff on breast. Bill is stout and pinkish buff. Voice Utters a tsit call. Jingling song is sung from fencepost or overhead wire. Status Local and declining bird of cereal fields, particularly barley. Has suffered terribly from modern farming practises.
    155379.jpg
  • Raven Corvus corax L 55-65cm. Our largest passerine. Appreciably bigger than Carrion Crow, with massive bill and shaggy throat. Wary and mostly seen in aerobatic flight; note thick neck and wedge-shaped tail. Typically seen in pairs. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have black plumage with an oily sheen. Voice Utters a loud and deep cronk call. Status Fairly common resident. Distribution has a westerly bias but signs indicate it may be returning to former haunts in central England. Favours rolling, wooded countryside, desolate upland areas, and rugged coasts.
    155213.jpg
  • Raven Corvus corax L 55-65cm. Our largest passerine. Appreciably bigger than Carrion Crow, with massive bill and shaggy throat. Wary and mostly seen in aerobatic flight; note thick neck and wedge-shaped tail. Typically seen in pairs. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have black plumage with an oily sheen. Voice Utters a loud and deep cronk call. Status Fairly common resident. Distribution has a westerly bias but signs indicate it may be returning to former haunts in central England. Favours rolling, wooded countryside, desolate upland areas, and rugged coasts.
    155214.jpg
  • Raven Corvus corax L 55-65cm. Our largest passerine. Appreciably bigger than Carrion Crow, with massive bill and shaggy throat. Wary and mostly seen in aerobatic flight; note thick neck and wedge-shaped tail. Typically seen in pairs. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have black plumage with an oily sheen. Voice Utters a loud and deep cronk call. Status Fairly common resident. Distribution has a westerly bias but signs indicate it may be returning to former haunts in central England. Favours rolling, wooded countryside, desolate upland areas, and rugged coasts.
    155215.jpg
  • Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax L 38-40cm. Jackdaw-sized corvid with downcurved, red bill, used to probe ground for invertebrates. Forms sociable, noisy flocks outside breeding season. Superb aeronaut with broad, ‘fingered’ wingtips. Sexes are similar. Adult has glossy, black plumage and reddish pink legs. Juvenile has duller legs and dull yellow bill. Voice Call is distinctive chyah, uttered while wings are flexed and flicked. Status Scarce resident, mainly of coastal seacliffs. S and W Ireland, W Wales, Isle of Man, and Islay are strongholds. Has recently recolonised Lizard in Cornwall.
    154353.jpg
  • Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea L 35cm. Graceful seabird with buoyant flight. Plunge-dives for fish. Sexes are similar. Adult has grey upperparts, black cap, and pale underparts, palest on cheeks, darkest on belly. Has uniformly red bill, short, red legs and long tail streamers. In flight from below, flight feathers look translucent, with narrow, dark trailing edge to primaries. Juvenile has white underparts, incomplete dark cap and scaly grey upperparts. In flight from above, has dark leading edge, and white trailing edge, to inner wing. Legs and bill are dull. Voice Utters harsh krt-krt-krt call near nest. Status Locally common summer visitor and passage migrant. Colonial nester, always near coasts; commonest in N.
    154372.jpg
  • Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus L 11cm. Similar to Chiffchaff but separable using subtle plumage details, colour and voice. Sexes are similar. Adult has olive-green upperparts, yellow throat, whitish underparts and pale supercilium. Overall, plumage is brighter than Chiffchaff and primary feathers project further. Note pale supercilium and pinkish yellow legs. Juvenile is similar but paler and more yellow, particularly on underparts. Voice hueet call is similar to Chiffchaff. Song is a tinkling, descending phrase that ends in a flourish. Status Widespread and common summer visitor to wooded habitats including birch woodland and willow scrub.
    154213.jpg
  • Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax L 38-40cm. Jackdaw-sized corvid with downcurved, red bill, used to probe ground for invertebrates. Forms sociable, noisy flocks outside breeding season. Superb aeronaut with broad, ‘fingered’ wingtips. Sexes are similar. Adult has glossy, black plumage and reddish pink legs. Juvenile has duller legs and dull yellow bill. Voice Call is distinctive chyah, uttered while wings are flexed and flicked. Status Scarce resident, mainly of coastal seacliffs. S and W Ireland, W Wales, Isle of Man, and Islay are strongholds. Has recently recolonised Lizard in Cornwall.
    145980.jpg
  • Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus L 25-26cm. Upland counterpart of Blackbird. Typically alert and wary. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has mainly black plumage with striking white crescent on breast and pale fringes to wing feathers. Legs are dark, bill is yellowish, and feathers on underparts have pale fringes. Adult female is similar but dark elements of plumage are browner and pale crescent on breast is grubby white. 1st winter birds look rather dark with pale feather fringes all over and hint of adult’s pale crescent on breast. Voice Utters a harsh tchuck alarm call. Song comprises short bursts of fluty phrases. Status Local summer visitor to rugged moorland and lower mountain slopes.
    145981.jpg
  • Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix L 40-45cm. Bulky moorland gamebird. Males display at traditional leks to interest nearby females. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has mainly dark plumage with red wattle above eye. Displaying birds elevate and spread tails (which look lyre-shaped) and reveal white undertail coverts. In flight, tail looks long and forked; wings have white bars. Adult female has orange-brown plumage finely marked with dark bars. In flight wings show narrow white bar. Juvenile resembles a small female with subdued markings. Voice Displaying male utters a bubbling, cooing call. Status Scarce and declining in many areas. Does best on moorland comprising mosaic of grassland, heather moorland, bilberry stands and adjacent woodland.
    113660.jpg
  • Dunnock Prunella modularis L 13-14cm. House Sparrow-like bird with a thin, warbler-like bill. Mostly rather skulking. Sexes are similar. Adult has streaked chestnut-brown back. Underparts are mostly bluish grey but flanks are streaked with brown and chestnut. Face is bluish grey with brown streaking on ear coverts and crown. Bill is dark and legs are reddish pink. Juvenile is similar but has bolder streaking. Voice Song is warbler-like; usually delivered from prominent perch. Alarm call is a thin tseer. Status Common resident of woodlands, hedgerows and gardens with plenty of cover.
    122754.jpg
  • Swallow Hirundo rustica L 19cm. Recognised in flight by pointed wings and long tail streamers. Sexes are similar but male has longer tail streamers than female. Adult has blue-black upperparts and white underparts except for dark chest band and brick-red throat and forecrown. Juvenile is similar but has shorter tail streamers and buff throat. Voice Utters sharp vit call in flight; male sings twittering song, often from overhead wires near nest. Status Common and widespread in summer. Usually nests in villages and farmyards, half cup-shaped mud nest typically sited under eaves or in barn. Migrants congregate over freshwater and roost in reedbeds.
    123953.jpg
  • Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa L 38-42cm. Long-legged wader with long, straight bill. In flight, has black tail, white rump and white wingbars on upperwing. Sexes are dissimilar in summer. Adult male in breeding plumage has reddish orange face, neck and breast. Greyish back is spangled with reddish brown and belly is whitish with barring on flanks. Adult female in breeding plumage is similar but reddish elements of plumage are less intense. Winter adult is grey-brown, palest on belly; undertail is white. Juvenile recalls winter adult but has orange suffusion on neck and breast and pale fringes and dark spotting on back feathers. Voice Utters a kwe-we-we call in flight. Status Rare British breeder; Ouse and Nene Washes are strongholds and favours wet grassland. Icelandic migrants boost numbers outside breeding season; locally common on muddy estuaries.
    127955.jpg
  • Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa L 38-42cm. Long-legged wader with long, straight bill. In flight, has black tail, white rump and white wingbars on upperwing. Sexes are dissimilar in summer. Adult male in breeding plumage has reddish orange face, neck and breast. Greyish back is spangled with reddish brown and belly is whitish with barring on flanks. Adult female in breeding plumage is similar but reddish elements of plumage are less intense. Winter adult is grey-brown, palest on belly; undertail is white. Juvenile recalls winter adult but has orange suffusion on neck and breast and pale fringes and dark spotting on back feathers. Voice Utters a kwe-we-we call in flight. Status Rare British breeder; Ouse and Nene Washes are strongholds and favours wet grassland. Icelandic migrants boost numbers outside breeding season; locally common on muddy estuaries.
    127958.jpg
  • Swallow Hirundo rustica L 19cm. Recognised in flight by pointed wings and long tail streamers. Sexes are similar but male has longer tail streamers than female. Adult has blue-black upperparts and white underparts except for dark chest band and brick-red throat and forecrown. Juvenile is similar but has shorter tail streamers and buff throat. Voice Utters sharp vit call in flight; male sings twittering song, often from overhead wires near nest. Status Common and widespread in summer. Usually nests in villages and farmyards, half cup-shaped mud nest typically sited under eaves or in barn. Migrants congregate over freshwater and roost in reedbeds.
    129175.jpg
  • Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti L 14cm. Unobtrusive wetland warbler whose loud song is heard more than bird is seen. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have dark reddish brown upperparts, including tail. Underparts are pale: has whitish throat, grey face and breast, grey-buff belly. Legs are reddish and bill is dark-tipped. Voice Utters a loud pluut call. Song is explosive chee, chippi-chippi-chippi. Most vocal in spring but snatches of song are heard at other times.<br />
Status Recent colonist, now a local resident of scrubby margins of marshes and clumps of bushes in extensive reedbeds.
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  • The Hooded Crow Corvus corone cornix has grubby grey body plumage with black wings and tail, a black head, throat and centre of the upper breast. It is found north and west of the Clyde-Dornoch line, and throughout Ireland and on the Isle of Man. All crows are wary birds that utter a harsh, slightly slurred creeaa-creeaa-creeaa call.
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  • Dunnock Prunella modularis L 13-14cm. House Sparrow-like bird with a thin, warbler-like bill. Mostly rather skulking. Sexes are similar. Adult has streaked chestnut-brown back. Underparts are mostly bluish grey but flanks are streaked with brown and chestnut. Face is bluish grey with brown streaking on ear coverts and crown. Bill is dark and legs are reddish pink. Juvenile is similar but has bolder streaking. Voice Song is warbler-like; usually delivered from prominent perch. Alarm call is a thin tseer. Status Common resident of woodlands, hedgerows and gardens with plenty of cover.
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  • Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla L 14-15cm. Distinctive warbler with a musical song. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has grey-brown upperparts, dusky grey underparts, palest on throat and undertail, pale eyering and diagnostic black cap. Adult female and juveniles have grey-brown upperparts, pale buffish grey underparts (palest on throat and undertail) and reddish chestnut cap. Voice Utters a sharp tchek alarm call. Song is rich and musical warble; similar to Garden Warbler’s but contains jaunty phrases. Status Common summer visitor to deciduous woodland with dense undergrowth, scrub and mature gardens. Migrants from N Europe pass through in autumn and some remain throughout winter.
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  • Garden Warbler Sylvia borin L 14-15cm. Has non-descript plumage but an attractive song. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniform grey-brown upperparts and pale underparts with buffish wash to breast and flanks. Legs are grey, grey bill is short and stubby, and note subtle grey patch on side of neck (not always easy to see). Voice Call is a sharp chek-chek. Song is rich and warbling; could be confused with Blackcap’s but even more musical and almost thrush-like. Status Fairly common summer visitor to deciduous woodland and mature scrub.
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  • Garden Warbler Sylvia borin L 14-15cm. Has non-descript plumage but an attractive song. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniform grey-brown upperparts and pale underparts with buffish wash to breast and flanks. Legs are grey, grey bill is short and stubby, and note subtle grey patch on side of neck (not always easy to see). Voice Call is a sharp chek-chek. Song is rich and warbling; could be confused with Blackcap’s but even more musical and almost thrush-like. Status Fairly common summer visitor to deciduous woodland and mature scrub.
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  • Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix L 11-12cm. Colourful warbler with a distinctive song and precise habitat requirements. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have olive-green upperparts, bright yellow throat and supercilium, and clean white underparts. Note dark eyestripe and pale pink legs. Voice Utters a sharp tsip call. Song (likened to a coin spinning on a plate) starts with ringing notes and accelerates to a silvery trill. Status Locally common summer visitor to mature woodlands with tall trees, limited ground cover and closed canopy; Sessile Oak woods in W and N are favoured, and Beech woods elsewhere.
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  • Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix L 11-12cm. Colourful warbler with a distinctive song and precise habitat requirements. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have olive-green upperparts, bright yellow throat and supercilium, and clean white underparts. Note dark eyestripe and pale pink legs. Voice Utters a sharp tsip call. Song (likened to a coin spinning on a plate) starts with ringing notes and accelerates to a silvery trill. Status Locally common summer visitor to mature woodlands with tall trees, limited ground cover and closed canopy; Sessile Oak woods in W and N are favoured, and Beech woods elsewhere.
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  • Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus L 13-14cm. Wetland warbler with nondescript brown plumage but distinctive song. Sexes are similar. Adult has sandy brown upperparts with reddish brown flush to rump. Underparts are pale with buffish flush to flanks. Legs are dark and bill is needle-like. Note hint of pale supercilium and eyering. Juvenile is similar but upperparts are warmer brown and underparts more intensely flushed buff. Voice Utters a sharp tche call. Song contains grating and chattering phrases (some are repeated 2 or 3 times, plus elements of mimicry. Status Locally common summer visitor to reedbeds.
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  • Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus L 11cm. Similar to Chiffchaff but separable using subtle plumage details, colour and voice. Sexes are similar. Adult has olive-green upperparts, yellow throat, whitish underparts and pale supercilium. Overall, plumage is brighter than Chiffchaff and primary feathers project further. Note pale supercilium and pinkish yellow legs. Juvenile is similar but paler and more yellow, particularly on underparts. Voice hueet call is similar to Chiffchaff. Song is a tinkling, descending phrase that ends in a flourish. Status Widespread and common summer visitor to wooded habitats including birch woodland and willow scrub.
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  • Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus L 13-14cm. Wetland warbler with nondescript brown plumage but distinctive song. Sexes are similar. Adult has sandy brown upperparts with reddish brown flush to rump. Underparts are pale with buffish flush to flanks. Legs are dark and bill is needle-like. Note hint of pale supercilium and eyering. Juvenile is similar but upperparts are warmer brown and underparts more intensely flushed buff. Voice Utters a sharp tche call. Song contains grating and chattering phrases (some are repeated 2 or 3 times, plus elements of mimicry. Status Locally common summer visitor to reedbeds.
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  • Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis L 15cm. Similar to Meadow Pipit but separable with care using plumage details, voice and habitat preferences. Sexes are similar. Adult has streaked sandy brown upperparts. Underparts are pale, whitish and unmarked on throat and belly but boldly streaked and flushed with yellow-buff on breast and flanks. Note striking pale supercilium and dark sub-moustachial stripe. Legs are pinkish and outer tail feathers are white. Juvenile is similar to adult. Voice Flight call is a buzzing spzzzt. Song (delivered in flight but starts and ends from different tree perches) comprises accelerating trill ending with thin notes. Status Widespread migrant summer visitor, commonest in W and N. Favours open woodland and heaths with scattered trees.
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  • Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis L 15cm. Similar to Meadow Pipit but separable with care using plumage details, voice and habitat preferences. Sexes are similar. Adult has streaked sandy brown upperparts. Underparts are pale, whitish and unmarked on throat and belly but boldly streaked and flushed with yellow-buff on breast and flanks. Note striking pale supercilium and dark sub-moustachial stripe. Legs are pinkish and outer tail feathers are white. Juvenile is similar to adult. Voice Flight call is a buzzing spzzzt. Song (delivered in flight but starts and ends from different tree perches) comprises accelerating trill ending with thin notes. Status Widespread migrant summer visitor, commonest in W and N. Favours open woodland and heaths with scattered trees.
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  • Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis L 14-15cm. Rather nondescript, streaked brown bird. Forms loose flocks outside breeding season. Sexes are similar. Adult has streaked brown upperparts and pale underparts with dark streaks; has buffish yellow flush to flanks and breast, most noticeable in autumn. Has pale, unmarked throat, pale eyering and hint of short, pale supercilium. Legs are pinkish and outer tail feathers are white. Juvenile is similar but with less extensive streaking. Voice Utters a pseet-pseet-pseet call. Descending song is delivered in flight but starts and ends on ground. Status Common and widespread resident. Favours rough, grassy habitats; upland birds move to lowlands outside breeding season and European migrants boost winter numbers.
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  • Skylark Alauda arvensis L 18cm. Has nondescript plumage and best known for incessant song, delivered in flight. Sexes are similar. Adult has streaked sandy-brown upperparts and paler underparts; breast is streaked and flushed buff. Short crest is sometimes raised. In flight, note whitish trailing edge to wings and white outer tail feathers. Juvenile is similar but with scaly-looking back. Voice Rapid song comprises trills, whistles and elements of mimicry. Call is a rolling chrrrp. Status Favours grassy habitats including meadows, heaths and arable farmland. Has declined alarmingly, due to changes in farming practises, but still common. Forms flocks outside breeding season; upland breeding birds move to lowlands in winter.
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  • Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca L 12-13cm. Small, rather short-tailed warbler with retiring habits but distinctive song. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have blue-grey crown, dark mask and grey-brown back and wings. Underparts are pale, whitish on throat but washed pale buff on flanks. Has dark legs, dark-tipped grey bill and pale iris. Voice Utters a harsh chek alarm call. Song is a tuneless rattle, sung on one note, usually preceded by short warbling phrase. Status Fairly common summer visitor, mostly to S and SE England. Favours areas scrub and hedgerows with dense Hawthorn and Blackthorn.
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  • Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava flavissima L 16-17cm. Long-tailed wetland bird. Sometimes feeds at feet of grazing animals. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has greenish yellow upperparts, yellow underparts, white outer tail feathers and whitish wingbars. Adult female is similar but less colourful. Juvenile has olive-buff upperparts and pale underparts, with whitish throat, yellow flush to undertail, white outer tail feathers and pale wingbars. Blue-headed Wagtail M.f.flava (race from mainland Europe) sometimes turns up; male has bluish cap and ear coverts, and white supercilium. Voice (all birds) Utters a distinctive tsree-ee call. Status Local summer visitor to damp, grazed grassland.
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  • Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus L 12-13cm. Well-marked wetland warbler with distinctive song. Sexes are similar. Adult has dark-streaked sandy brown upperparts and pale underparts, flushed orange-buff on breast and flanks. Head has dark-streaked crown, striking pale supercilium and dark eyestripe. Juvenile is similar but breast is faintly streaked. Voice Utters a sharp chek alarm call. Song comprises rasping and grating phrases interspersed with trills and whistles. Status Widespread summer visitor to rank marshy vegetation, scrub patches on fringes of reedbeds and overgrown ditches.
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  • Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus L 12-13cm. Well-marked wetland warbler with distinctive song. Sexes are similar. Adult has dark-streaked sandy brown upperparts and pale underparts, flushed orange-buff on breast and flanks. Head has dark-streaked crown, striking pale supercilium and dark eyestripe. Juvenile is similar but breast is faintly streaked. Voice Utters a sharp chek alarm call. Song comprises rasping and grating phrases interspersed with trills and whistles. Status Widespread summer visitor to rank marshy vegetation, scrub patches on fringes of reedbeds and overgrown ditches.
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  • Blackbird Turdus merula L 25-28cm. Familiar ground-dwelling bird. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has uniformly blackish plumage. Legs are dark but bill and eyering are yellow. 1st winter male is similar but bill is dark and eyering is dull. Adult and 1st winter female are brown, darkest on wings and tail, and palest on throat and streaked breast. Juvenile is similar to adult female but marked with pale spots. Voice Utters harsh and repeated tchak alarm call, often at dusk. Male has rich, fluty and varied song. Status Common and widespread in gardens, but in woodland, farmland and coasts. Upland birds move to lower levels in winter and migrants arrive from Europe.
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  • Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea L 35cm. Graceful seabird with buoyant flight. Plunge-dives for fish. Sexes are similar. Adult has grey upperparts, black cap, and pale underparts, palest on cheeks, darkest on belly. Has uniformly red bill, short, red legs and long tail streamers. In flight from below, flight feathers look translucent, with narrow, dark trailing edge to primaries. Juvenile has white underparts, incomplete dark cap and scaly grey upperparts. In flight from above, has dark leading edge, and white trailing edge, to inner wing. Legs and bill are dull. Voice Utters harsh krt-krt-krt call near nest. Status Locally common summer visitor and passage migrant. Colonial nester, always near coasts; commonest in N.
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  • Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia L 13cm. Skulking, unobtrusive warbler, heard more often than it is seen. Sexes are similar. Adult has streaked olive-brown upperparts; underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast. Long undertail coverts are adorned with dark streaks. Juvenile is similar but underparts are usually tinged yellow-buff. Voice Utters a sharp tssvet call. Song is reeling and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Almost inaudible to people with poor hearing. Status Local summer visitor to rank grassland with bramble patches and clumps of rushes.
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  • Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla L 14-15cm. Distinctive warbler with a musical song. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has grey-brown upperparts, dusky grey underparts, palest on throat and undertail, pale eyering and diagnostic black cap. Adult female and juveniles have grey-brown upperparts, pale buffish grey underparts (palest on throat and undertail) and reddish chestnut cap. Voice Utters a sharp tchek alarm call. Song is rich and musical warble; similar to Garden Warbler’s but contains jaunty phrases. Status Common summer visitor to deciduous woodland with dense undergrowth, scrub and mature gardens. Migrants from N Europe pass through in autumn and some remain throughout winter.
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  • Woodlark Lullula arborea L 15cm. Unobtrusive and easily overlooked but for wonderful, yodelling song. Sexes are similar. Adult has sandy brown, streaked upperparts and mainly pale underparts; breast is streaked and flushed buff. Note chestnut ear coverts, pale supercilium and black-and-white marking on wing. Juvenile is similar but with a scaly-looking back. Voice Song comprises fluty, yodelling notes; call is yodelling deet-luee. Status Local, restricted to heathy habitats with short turf (for feeding), longer grassland (for nesting) and scattered trees. Nomadic outside breeding season.
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  • Woodlark Lullula arborea L 15cm. Unobtrusive and easily overlooked but for wonderful, yodelling song. Sexes are similar. Adult has sandy brown, streaked upperparts and mainly pale underparts; breast is streaked and flushed buff. Note chestnut ear coverts, pale supercilium and black-and-white marking on wing. Juvenile is similar but with a scaly-looking back. Voice Song comprises fluty, yodelling notes; call is yodelling deet-luee. Status Local, restricted to heathy habitats with short turf (for feeding), longer grassland (for nesting) and scattered trees. Nomadic outside breeding season.
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  • Woodlark Lullula arborea L 15cm. Unobtrusive and easily overlooked but for wonderful, yodelling song. Sexes are similar. Adult has sandy brown, streaked upperparts and mainly pale underparts; breast is streaked and flushed buff. Note chestnut ear coverts, pale supercilium and black-and-white marking on wing. Juvenile is similar but with a scaly-looking back. Voice Song comprises fluty, yodelling notes; call is yodelling deet-luee. Status Local, restricted to heathy habitats with short turf (for feeding), longer grassland (for nesting) and scattered trees. Nomadic outside breeding season.
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  • Woodlark Lullula arborea L 15cm. Unobtrusive and easily overlooked but for wonderful, yodelling song. Sexes are similar. Adult has sandy brown, streaked upperparts and mainly pale underparts; breast is streaked and flushed buff. Note chestnut ear coverts, pale supercilium and black-and-white marking on wing. Juvenile is similar but with a scaly-looking back. Voice Song comprises fluty, yodelling notes; call is yodelling deet-luee. Status Local, restricted to heathy habitats with short turf (for feeding), longer grassland (for nesting) and scattered trees. Nomadic outside breeding season.
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  • Woodlark Lullula arborea L 15cm. Unobtrusive and easily overlooked but for wonderful, yodelling song. Sexes are similar. Adult has sandy brown, streaked upperparts and mainly pale underparts; breast is streaked and flushed buff. Note chestnut ear coverts, pale supercilium and black-and-white marking on wing. Juvenile is similar but with a scaly-looking back. Voice Song comprises fluty, yodelling notes; call is yodelling deet-luee. Status Local, restricted to heathy habitats with short turf (for feeding), longer grassland (for nesting) and scattered trees. Nomadic outside breeding season.
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  • Treecreeper Certhia familiaris L 12-13cm. Easily overlooked as it creeps up tree trunks, using spiky tail for support. Probes bark for insects using needle-like bill Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have streaked brown upperparts and silvery white underparts, subtly suffused buff towards rear of flanks. Note grubby whitish supercilium and broad, zigzag buffish barring on wings. Voice Utters a thin, high-pitched tseert call. Song comprises short series of high-pitched notes and ends in a trill. Status Fairly common resident of deciduous and mixed woodlands.
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  • Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus L 14-15cm. Well-marked bird of wetland margins. Forms flocks outside breeding season. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult summer male has black head, throat and bib, and white collar and submoustachial stripe. Underparts are whitish with faint streaking, back is dark and wings have reddish brown feather margins. In all other plumages head has dark brown and buffish brown stripes and pale submoustachial stripe. Back has brown and buff stripes, wing feathers have reddish brown margin and pale underparts are streaked on flanks and breast. Males show hint of summer head pattern. Voice Utters a thin seeu call. Song is simple, chinking and repetitive. Status Locally common. In winter, flocks found on arable fields.
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  • Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus L 16-17cm. Well-marked bunting. Olive-grey rump allows separation from Yellowhammer (with red-brown rump) at all times. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has black and yellow on head. Breast, nape and crown are greenish grey and underparts are yellow, flushed and streaked chestnut on flanks; back is reddish brown. In winter, colours are duller. Adult female has dark and yellowish stripes on head, streaked greenish grey crown, nape and breast and streaked yellowish underparts. Back is reddish brown. Juvenile is similar to adult female but paler. Voice Utters a sharp tziip call. Song is a tuneless rattle, recalling Lesser Whitethroat. Status Once widespread in S, now restricted to S Devon; recently reintroduced to Cornwall. Favours low-intensity farmland with hedgerows.
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  • Lesser Redpoll Carduelis cabaret L 12-14cm. Well-marked finch. Forms flocks outside breeding season, and mixes with Siskins. Bill is yellow and conical. Sexes are separable. Adult male has streaked grey-brown upperparts, darkest on back. Underparts are pale but dark-streaked. Note red forecrown, black bib and lores, white wingbar, pale, streaked rump and often pinkish flush to the breast. Adult female and juveniles are similar but lack pinkish flush to breast. Voice Utters a rattling chek-chek-chek call in flight. Song is wheezing and rattling. Status Widespread and fairly common. Breeds in birch woodland and favours birches and Alders in winter.
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  • Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella L 15-17cm. Colourful bunting with diagnostic song. Forms flocks outside breeding season. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has mainly yellow head and underparts, and reddish brown back and wings. Note faint dark lines on head, chestnut flush to breast and streaking on flanks; rump is reddish brown and bill is greyish. In winter, similar but duller and more streaked. Adult female has streaked greenish grey head and breast, streaked pale yellow underparts and brown back; note reddish brown rump. Juvenile is similar to adult female but more streaked. Voice Has a rasping call. Song is rendered ‘a little bit of bread and no cheese’. Status Fairly common resident of farmland and open country with scrub and hedges. Winter flocks often feed on arable fields.
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  • Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides L 14-15cm. Reedbed specialist that is hard to see. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniformly warm brown upperparts. Underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast and flanks; undertail coverts are warm buffish brown. Voice Call is a sharp tviit. Song is reeling, endless and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Status to extensive wet reedbeds, mainly in East Anglia and Kent.
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  • Bluethroat Luscinia svecica L 13-14cm. Robin-sized bird that feeds on ground. Unobtrusive but obvious when seen well. Red sides to base of tail are diagnostic. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has mainly grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts, with white supercilium and iridescent blue throat and breast, bordered below by bands of black, white and red; typically, blue ‘throat’ has white or red central spot depending on race. Blue colour masked by pale feather fringes in autumn. In other plumages Blue on throat is obscured by pale feather margins, or replaced by cream or white, depending on individual’s sex and age. Voice Utters a sharp tchick call. Status Scarce passage migrant.
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  • Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa L 38-42cm. Long-legged wader with long, straight bill. In flight, has black tail, white rump and white wingbars on upperwing. Sexes are dissimilar in summer. Adult male in breeding plumage has reddish orange face, neck and breast. Greyish back is spangled with reddish brown and belly is whitish with barring on flanks. Adult female in breeding plumage is similar but reddish elements of plumage are less intense. Winter adult is grey-brown, palest on belly; undertail is white. Juvenile recalls winter adult but has orange suffusion on neck and breast and pale fringes and dark spotting on back feathers. Voice Utters a kwe-we-we call in flight. Status Rare British breeder; Ouse and Nene Washes are strongholds and favours wet grassland. Icelandic migrants boost numbers outside breeding season; locally common on muddy estuaries.
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  • Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides L 14-15cm. Reedbed specialist that is hard to see. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have uniformly warm brown upperparts. Underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast and flanks; undertail coverts are warm buffish brown. Voice Call is a sharp tviit. Song is reeling, endless and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Status to extensive wet reedbeds, mainly in East Anglia and Kent.
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  • Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax L 38-40cm. Jackdaw-sized corvid with downcurved, red bill, used to probe ground for invertebrates. Forms sociable, noisy flocks outside breeding season. Superb aeronaut with broad, ‘fingered’ wingtips. Sexes are similar. Adult has glossy, black plumage and reddish pink legs. Juvenile has duller legs and dull yellow bill. Voice Call is distinctive chyah, uttered while wings are flexed and flicked. Status Scarce resident, mainly of coastal seacliffs. S and W Ireland, W Wales, Isle of Man, and Islay are strongholds. Has recently recolonised Lizard in Cornwall.
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  • Dunnock Prunella modularis L 13-14cm. House Sparrow-like bird with a thin, warbler-like bill. Mostly rather skulking. Sexes are similar. Adult has streaked chestnut-brown back. Underparts are mostly bluish grey but flanks are streaked with brown and chestnut. Face is bluish grey with brown streaking on ear coverts and crown. Bill is dark and legs are reddish pink. Juvenile is similar but has bolder streaking. Voice Song is warbler-like; usually delivered from prominent perch. Alarm call is a thin tseer. Status Common resident of woodlands, hedgerows and gardens with plenty of cover.
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  • Whitethroat Sylvia communis L 13-15cm. Familiar warbler of open country. Males often perch openly. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has blue-grey cap and face, grey-brown back and rufous edges to wing feathers. Throat is white while; underparts otherwise pale, suffused pinkish buff on breast. Legs are yellowish brown and yellowish bill is dark-tipped. Dark tail has white outer feathers. Adult female and juveniles are similar but cap and face are brownish and pale underparts (apart from white throat) are suffused pale buff. Voice Utters a harsh check alarm call. Song is a rapid and scratchy warble. Status Common summer visitor to scrub patches, hedgerows and heaths.
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  • Blackbird Turdus merula L 25-28cm. Familiar ground-dwelling bird. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has uniformly blackish plumage. Legs are dark but bill and eyering are yellow. 1st winter male is similar but bill is dark and eyering is dull. Adult and 1st winter female are brown, darkest on wings and tail, and palest on throat and streaked breast. Juvenile is similar to adult female but marked with pale spots. Voice Utters harsh and repeated tchak alarm call, often at dusk. Male has rich, fluty and varied song. Status Common and widespread in gardens, but in woodland, farmland and coasts. Upland birds move to lower levels in winter and migrants arrive from Europe.
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  • Blackbird Turdus merula L 25-28cm. Familiar ground-dwelling bird. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has uniformly blackish plumage. Legs are dark but bill and eyering are yellow. 1st winter male is similar but bill is dark and eyering is dull. Adult and 1st winter female are brown, darkest on wings and tail, and palest on throat and streaked breast. Juvenile is similar to adult female but marked with pale spots. Voice Utters harsh and repeated tchak alarm call, often at dusk. Male has rich, fluty and varied song. Status Common and widespread in gardens, but in woodland, farmland and coasts. Upland birds move to lower levels in winter and migrants arrive from Europe.
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  • Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix L 40-45cm. Bulky moorland gamebird. Males display at traditional leks to interest nearby females. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has mainly dark plumage with red wattle above eye. Displaying birds elevate and spread tails (which look lyre-shaped) and reveal white undertail coverts. In flight, tail looks long and forked; wings have white bars. Adult female has orange-brown plumage finely marked with dark bars. In flight wings show narrow white bar. Juvenile resembles a small female with subdued markings. Voice Displaying male utters a bubbling, cooing call. Status Scarce and declining in many areas. Does best on moorland comprising mosaic of grassland, heather moorland, bilberry stands and adjacent woodland.
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  • Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos L 18-20cm. Active little wader with a bobbing gait and elongated tail end. Flies on bowed, fluttering wings low over water: note white wingbar and absence of white rump. Sexes are similar.<br />
Adult has warm brown upperparts with faint dark centres and barring feathers of back and wings. Head and neck are grey-brown; note clear demarcation between dark breast and white underparts, white extending up sides of breast. Juvenile is similar but wing covert feathers s are barred. Voice Utters a whistling tswee-wee-wee call. Status Fairly common summer visitor, nesting beside upland and northern rivers and lakes. Widespread and fairly common passage migrant, found at inland sites and on coasts. A handful overwinter.
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  • Grey Partridge Perdix perdix L 29-31cm. Well-marked gamebird. Usually seen in small parties. Hunted and consequently wary; prefers to run from danger. Sexes are separable with care. Adult male has mainly grey, finely marked plumage with orange-buff face, large chestnut mark on belly, maroon stripes on flanks and streaked back. Adult female is similar but marking on belly is small. Juvenile is grey-buff with hint of adult’s dark markings. Voice Utters a choked, harsh kierr-ikk call. Status Native of grassland and arable farmland with mature hedgerows. Once abundant, now scarce due to modern farming methods. Observation tips Easiest to see in winter.
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  • Grey Partridge Perdix perdix L 29-31cm. Well-marked gamebird. Usually seen in small parties. Hunted and consequently wary; prefers to run from danger. Sexes are separable with care. Adult male has mainly grey, finely marked plumage with orange-buff face, large chestnut mark on belly, maroon stripes on flanks and streaked back. Adult female is similar but marking on belly is small. Juvenile is grey-buff with hint of adult’s dark markings. Voice Utters a choked, harsh kierr-ikk call. Status Native of grassland and arable farmland with mature hedgerows. Once abundant, now scarce due to modern farming methods. Observation tips Easiest to see in winter.
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  • Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra L 16-18cm. Plump-bodied bunting with non-descript plumage but distinctive song. Dangles legs when flying short distances. Forms flocks in winter. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have streaked brown upperparts and whitish underparts, streaked on breast and flanks, and flushed buff on breast. Bill is stout and pinkish buff. Voice Utters a tsit call. Jingling song is sung from fencepost or overhead wire. Status Local and declining bird of cereal fields, particularly barley. Has suffered terribly from modern farming practises.
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  • Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus L 12-13cm. Well-marked wetland warbler with distinctive song. Sexes are similar. Adult has dark-streaked sandy brown upperparts and pale underparts, flushed orange-buff on breast and flanks. Head has dark-streaked crown, striking pale supercilium and dark eyestripe. Juvenile is similar but breast is faintly streaked. Voice Utters a sharp chek alarm call. Song comprises rasping and grating phrases interspersed with trills and whistles. Status Widespread summer visitor to rank marshy vegetation, scrub patches on fringes of reedbeds and overgrown ditches.
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  • Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus L 12-13cm. Well-marked wetland warbler with distinctive song. Sexes are similar. Adult has dark-streaked sandy brown upperparts and pale underparts, flushed orange-buff on breast and flanks. Head has dark-streaked crown, striking pale supercilium and dark eyestripe. Juvenile is similar but breast is faintly streaked. Voice Utters a sharp chek alarm call. Song comprises rasping and grating phrases interspersed with trills and whistles. Status Widespread summer visitor to rank marshy vegetation, scrub patches on fringes of reedbeds and overgrown ditches.
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  • Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus L 12-13cm. Well-marked wetland warbler with distinctive song. Sexes are similar. Adult has dark-streaked sandy brown upperparts and pale underparts, flushed orange-buff on breast and flanks. Head has dark-streaked crown, striking pale supercilium and dark eyestripe. Juvenile is similar but breast is faintly streaked. Voice Utters a sharp chek alarm call. Song comprises rasping and grating phrases interspersed with trills and whistles. Status Widespread summer visitor to rank marshy vegetation, scrub patches on fringes of reedbeds and overgrown ditches.
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  • Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita L 11cm. Tiny warbler, best known for its onomatopoeic song. Sexes are similar. Adult and juvenile have grey-brown upperparts and pale, greyish underparts suffused with yellow-buff on throat and breast. Bill is needle-like and legs are black; latter feature helps separate silent individuals from similar Willow Warbler. Voice Call is a soft hueet. Song is continually repeated chiff-chaff or tsip-tsap. Status Common summer visitor to mature deciduous woodland with a dense understorey of shrubs. Most migrate south to Mediterranean region in autumn but several hundred overwinter in S Britain.
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  • Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus L 16-17cm. Well-marked bunting. Olive-grey rump allows separation from Yellowhammer (with red-brown rump) at all times. Sexes are dissimilar. Adult male has black and yellow on head. Breast, nape and crown are greenish grey and underparts are yellow, flushed and streaked chestnut on flanks; back is reddish brown. In winter, colours are duller. Adult female has dark and yellowish stripes on head, streaked greenish grey crown, nape and breast and streaked yellowish underparts. Back is reddish brown. Juvenile is similar to adult female but paler. Voice Utters a sharp tziip call. Song is a tuneless rattle, recalling Lesser Whitethroat. Status Once widespread in S, now restricted to S Devon; recently reintroduced to Cornwall. Favours low-intensity farmland with hedgerows.
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  • Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia L 13cm. Skulking, unobtrusive warbler, heard more often than it is seen. Sexes are similar. Adult has streaked olive-brown upperparts; underparts are paler but flushed buffish brown on breast. Long undertail coverts are adorned with dark streaks. Juvenile is similar but underparts are usually tinged yellow-buff. Voice Utters a sharp tssvet call. Song is reeling and insect-like; sung mainly at night. Almost inaudible to people with poor hearing. Status Local summer visitor to rank grassland with bramble patches and clumps of rushes.
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