Bird Identification Guide

To use our wild bird identification tool, simply click on the image of the bird you wish to find out more information about.

• Blackbird

  Bio: With our glossy black coat and orange and yellow bill, you’ll be sure to know when we pop in for a visit.

  Garden Spot: You’ll most likely find us eating worms and insects on the ground.

  When you'll see us: All year round.

  Nests: Made from grass, mud and twigs in the forks of small trees or bushes.

  Favourite Food: We like worms, insects, fruits and berries.

  Fun fact! Only adult males are actually black, females and young birds are actually brown!

• Bluetit

  Bio: From our wings to our tail we’re a bright blue, but our cheeks are white and our breasts yellow. You’ll find us easy to identify.

  Garden Spot: We love eating from hanging seed or peanut feeders so you may see us there.

  When you'll see us: All year round.

  Nests: Often made from moss, grass, animal hair, feathers and we may be spotted in your garden nest box if you have one.

  Favourite Food: We enjoy a variety of foods like seeds, insects and fruits.

  Fun fact! 50% of the total weight of a Blue Tit egg is the calcium.

• Chaffinch

  Bio: With a brown back we’ll often blend in, but our pink and orange breast and cheeks will set us apart, not forgetting the white on our wing bars.

  Garden Spot: Most likely to find us feeding on the ground.

  When you'll see us: All year round.

  Nests: Combined with grass, animal hair and rootlets in the fork of a tree or a bush.

  Favourite Food: As we like to feed from the ground, we enjoy finding and eating insects, along with seed.

  Fun fact! The oldest recorded Chaffinch is 11 years and 7 months.

• Coal Tit

  Bio: With white cheeks and a black crown we’re quite distinctive, whilst our back is a soft grey colour.

  Garden Spot: We can be spotted hanging from a seed feeder and in conifers.

  When you'll see us: All year round.

  Nests: We’ll often make it up with moss, animal hair and wool. If you have a nest box we could be a visitor inside.

  Favourite Food: We love to eat smaller seeds like nyjer seed.

  Fun fact! We are the smallest European Tit species, so look out closely for us.

• Dunnock

  Bio: Our plumage has a streaky look to it, with brown and black streaks above, but grey streaks on our breast. This grey leads down from our grey face.

  Garden Spot: Spot us feeding from the ground.

  When you'll see us: All year round.

  Nests: Often found in shrubs and hedges, we build it with twigs and moss and line the inside with hair.

  Favourite Food: Insects and fruits (yummy!)

  Fun fact! You may also know us as the Hedge Sparrow and the Hedge Accentor as we have THREE names.

• Great Tit

  Bio: An easy find with our bright yellow breast and broad black strips on our underparts. Mixed with our yellowy-green upperparts and black head with white cheeks, you’ll be sure to know when we’re visiting!

  Garden Spot: Find us hanging from your seed feeders.

  When you'll see us: All year round.

  Nests: We make them out of moss, grass, wool feathers and animal hair.

  Favourite Food: A bit of everything: insects, fruits and seeds.

  Fun fact! We are the UK’s largest of the Tit species.

• Greenfinch

  Bio: We are what we’re called. Green plumage all round, with a flash of yellow on our wings and the side of our tail.

  Garden Spot: Find us hanging from your seed feeders.

  When you'll see us: All year round.

  Nests: We’ll add lots – twigs, moss, grass, roots and animal hair.

  Favourite Food: Seeds and insects are our favourite.

  Fun fact! Our typical lifespan is two years.

• Goldfinch

  Bio: Our bodies are golden brown as described in our name, but our face sets us apart as it’s red, white and black. Not forgetting a striking yellow flash on our wings.

  Garden Spot: We’ll be near your hanging seed feeder.

  When you'll see us: All year round, but most likely March to October.

  Nests: You’ll have to look up as we’re often high up in the trees, with our nests made from grass, moss, roots and spider silk.

  Favourite Food: Small seeds, we really like nyjer seed.

  Fun fact! We have long thin beaks which are perfect for getting seeds from plants that other birds would not typically be able to.

• House Sparrow

  Bio: We’ll blend in with the woodlands with our streaked chestnut brown and black upperparts. But our white cheeks, grey crown and un-streaked grey underparts will make us clearer.

  Garden Spot: A seed feeder in your garden or on the ground.

  When you'll see us: All year round.

  Nests: We use soft materials like animal hair, grass and straw.

  Favourite Food: Seeds and occasionally berries, but we do feed insects to our chicks.

  Fun fact! We are cheaters! Research has shown that 15% of offspring are a result of either the hen or the cock mating with other partners.

• Mistle Thrush

  Bio: We’re unique with our dull white underpart and bold dark spots. The top of us is a greyish-brown with a flash of white under our wing.

  Garden Spot: Don’t look up for us, we’re usually found on the ground.

  When you'll see us: All year round, but keep an extra watch for flocks of us around July and August.

  Nests: We like to make it with mud, we’ll usually be near a tree trunk.

  Favourite Food: We like insects and berries.

  Fun fact! We will defend berry bushes against other birds so that we can keep the berries for ourselves.

• Robin

  Bio: As we’re very territorial you’ll often find us on our own, you’ll be sure to know it’s us with our lovely red breast, white underpart and brown plumage.

  Garden Spot: Find us eating from a hanging seed or peanut feeder.

  When you'll see us: Although we’re associated with the winter, you can actually spot us all year round.

  Nests: We add leaves, animal hair, moss and grass.

  Favourite Food: We like variety so we enjoy insects, fruits and seeds.

  Fun fact! We’re not actually born with our lovely red breast, we get this during our first moult.

• Tree Sparrow

  Bio: You’ll spot our streaky brown and black upperparts, which contrast nicely with our whitish, grey belly. We have a chocolate brown crown and white cheeks and a black smudge on our cheeks.

  Garden Spot: You’ll find us either at your bird feeders or bird tables.

  When you'll see us: All year round.

  Nests: We make them from dried grass and straw, usually built in a hole, but we may also come to your nest box.

  Favourite Food: Seeds and insects.

  Fun fact! We as adults feed on seeds and insects, but exclusively feed our chicks insects.