Who’s Who of British Garden Birds

Male Robins are fiercely defensive of their territories. They may look endearing but sometimes, fight to the death. Think you have the same Robin visiting your garden year after year? You can identify individual Robins by studying the orange/red breast. Each pattern is different.  Robins have a beautiful song. If you hear a bird singing by a lamppost early in the morning, it is likely to be a Robin. They are often mistaken for nightingales.

Blue Tits are tiny birds and incredibly agile at the feeders. Their lifespan is usually quite limited - around 3 years on average. Many Blue Tits die in their first year of life. But one Blue Tit is on record as living for 21 years which is incredible

Long Tailed Tits are not part of the tit family but they are much-favoured garden birds. They are tiny, fluffy birds with a subtle pink hue to their feathers. They fly in small flocks during the winter months and have a distinctive undulating flight. 

Long-Tailed Tits are at risk in the cold weather as they lose heat quickly due to their small size. They huddle together on branches at night to sustain warmth

Greenfinches were quite common in gardens until 2005. Sadly, the species was affected by the disease trichomoniasis. This disease is easily spread between birds and can devastate bird populations. To avoid this disease, keep bird feeders and tables clean. Greenfinches are beautiful birds and they add colour to the bird feeders. Encourage them into your garden for a feast of sunflower seeds and chopped peanuts.

Starlings have short tails and triangular-looking wings. When they land, they look a little like a Harrier jet.  Take a close look at the feathers and you will see vibrant green and purple sheens coming through. Starling murmurations are well-known and a sight to behold. 100,000 Starlings may flock together creating extraordinary patterns in the air. These are aerial acrobatics at their best. 

Jays belong to the Crow family. They are widespread throughout Britain - apart from in Northern Scotland. It is easy to see Jays in Autumn when they forage for acorns. These are cached away for when times are hard essentially creating  a larder. Jays are intelligent birds and excellent mimics. They can even express emotions including anger and playfulness

 Crows have the largest bird brains apart from parrots. They have been recorded as excellent problem solvers. They even use sticks as tools to access food that is out of reach. Carrion Crows seem to play just for the pleasure of it. They have been seen dangling upside down from clothes on a washing line. One crow was recorded sledging on a snowy roof

Great Spotted Woodpeckers are often heard drumming their beaks onto tree trunks. A male that has not paired up may drum up to 600 times in a day. Fortunately, they have shock-absorbent tissue between the bill and the skull. This protects them from brain damage.

Song Thrushes really are a gardener’s friend. They are one of only a few British birds partial to eating snails. This actually becomes a critical food source for them in the summer months. If snails are a problem, encourage Song Thrushes into your garden. Leave leaf litter for them to forage in. They are also tempted by hulled sunflower seeds. 

Smaller than a GreenFinch at 12cm, Siskins have a long narrow bill and a very distinct forked tail. They are resident breeders throughout Britain. The population levels are higher in Wales and Scotland. They will visit gardens - especially if their natural food source is low and will happily take seeds or sunflower hearts from bird feeders. Siskins display agile and energetic movements.

Collared Doves have been known to fly into windows. While other birds do this, they seem particularly prone to it. The imprint on the glass occurs due to the high level of dust in their feathers. It is possible to see the beak, eyelids or feathers outline.

Chaffinches often fly in all-male flocks during the winter months which may explain its latin name of Fringilla coelebs. Coelebs means bachelor. In fact, this bird is often called the Bachelor Bird. Female chaffinches migrate further than the males during the winter months. 

Feral pigeons occur in all parts of Britain. Descending from the Rock Dove, they are a similar size to Collared Doves. Plumage colours can be very different. They may be one of the first domesticated birds. Feral Pigeons have an amazing ‘homing’ instinct and can find their way back over 1300 miles. Feral Pigeons have adapted extremely well to urban life. 

They belong to the order Columbiformes which is the same order as the long-extinct Dodo.

The beautiful Bullfinch is quite a shy bird and rarely seen at garden feeders. Its name comes from its appearance...front heavy, bull-headed. They are found in orchards and can be destructive to the trees. Bullfinches can decimate half of a tree’s buds. This hasn’t always made them very popular. Females are usually dominant

The Cuckoo spends only a short time in Britain. It arrives in April and its presence here often heralds the first sign of Spring. Cuckoos fly back to Africa in June once the breeding season is over. The juveniles fly to Africa a few weeks later. Cuckoos are called brood parasites. This means they lay their eggs in the nests of other species. 
The female cuckoo generally lays eggs in the afternoon. She chooses the nests belonging to the same species that would have once reared her. During the breeding season, she can lay between 12 and 22 eggs, all in different nests. Once the cuckoo emerges from the egg, it has little empathy for the eggs or any young bird. It immediately tries to evict both from the nest.

Mistle Thrushes are much-loved visitors to gardens. These are larger than Blackbirds and tend to have a plump-bellied appearance. They perform something called resource guarding where one or two birds will defend their source of food. This defence is against any birds.

Willow Warblers are birds sadly on the decline. They look like Chiffchaffs. You can identify them by the pink of their legs rather than the Chiffchaffs dark legs. But the best way to identify them is by the song. 

They were once called Willow Wrens. They eat small insects and spiders but enjoy berries and fruit in the autumn. These are unusual birds as they moult all feathers twice each year. This is still a mystery.

Redwings are often confused with Song Thrushes. You can identify them by their white stripe above the eye and the red colour under the wings. Redwings migrate at night and so suddenly appear. They return to Britain late September or into October. They are very partial to fallen apples so if you would like to see Redwings, don’t be in a hurry to remove them.