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British Birds
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British Birds
Species
1
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50
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91
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Aquatic warbler (
Acrocephalus paludicola
)
The aquatic warbler is a small, slim bird with sandy coloured plumage with variable fine black streaking. Further identifying...
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4 Images
1 Video
Arctic tern (
Sterna paradisaea
)
The Arctic tern is a long-distance migrant, making a staggering annual round-trip from its Arctic or northern temperate breeding...
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20 Images
0 Videos
Barn owl (
Tyto alba
)
This ethereal, ghost-like owl has golden-grey coloured upperparts, and pure white underparts. The heart-shaped facial disc is pale...
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17 Images
9 Videos
Bewick's swan (
Cygnus columbianus bewickii
)
Bewick's swan is the smallest swan to visit Britain. It is named after the illustrator Thomas Bewick who died in 1828 and produced...
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16 Images
0 Videos
Bittern (
Botaurus stellaris
)
The bittern is more likely to be heard than seen. The loud booming call, uttered by males during the breeding season, can be heard...
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10 Images
5 Videos
Black grouse (
Tetrao tetrix
)
The black grouse, also known as 'blackgame' is one of Britain's most striking gamebirds. The male has glossy blue-black plumage...
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8 Images
9 Videos
Black-headed gull (
Larus ridibundus
)
The common name of this species is inaccurate, as adult black-headed gulls have a chocolate-brown head in summer. In winter, this...
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22 Images
0 Videos
Black-tailed godwit (
Limosa limosa
)
The black-tailed godwit is a rare, large and elegant wading bird with a very long straight bill. In flight it displays a broad...
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14 Images
0 Videos
Blackbird (
Turdus merula
)
Adult male blackbirds are, as the name suggests, totally black; they have a bright golden-yellow bill and a neat yellow ring around...
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23 Images
9 Videos
Blue tit (
Parus caeruleus
)
This small tit has yellow underparts, with a narrow, dark central stripe on the belly, blue wings and a white face, which...
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16 Images
9 Videos
Bullfinch (
Pyrrhula pyrrhula
)
This stocky finch has a stubby bill, a black face and cap, a white bar on the black wings, and a white rump. Males have blue-grey...
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13 Images
4 Videos
Canada goose (
Branta canadensis
)
The Canada goose was introduced to England around 300 years ago. It is now the most familiar goose in Britain. This large goose has...
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21 Images
7 Videos
Capercaillie (
Tetrao urogallus
)
The male capercaillie is a game bird, and the largest member of the grouse family resembling, to some people, a turkey. Males are...
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22 Images
5 Videos
Carrion crow (
Corvus corone
)
The carrion crow was, until recently, considered to be a race of the same species as the hooded crow (Corvus cornix), but it is now...
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13 Images
9 Videos
Chaffinch (
Fringilla coelebs
)
The chaffinch is one of the best-known and most common of all British birds. Both sexes can be easily identified in flight when...
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15 Images
0 Videos
Chough (
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
)
This member of the crow family is glossy black in colour, with a long curved red bill and red legs, unique in the family. Males and...
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12 Images
3 Videos
Cirl bunting (
Emberiza cirlus
)
The cirl bunting is slightly smaller than the more familiar yellowhammer, having a smaller bill and shorter, more rounded wings....
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8 Images
1 Video
Common crossbill (
Loxia curvirostra
)
Although it is not a bird that many people see very often, the crossbill is quite common in the UK and has probably increased...
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14 Images
2 Videos
Common gull (
Larus canus
)
The name common gull is rather misleading, as this gull is not all that common. It is generally similar in appearance to the...
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12 Images
0 Videos
Common scoter (
Melanitta nigra
)
The name Melanitta comes derives from the Greek for 'black duck'. Males have glossy black plumage with a patch of orange on the...
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5 Images
1 Video
Coot (
Fulica atra
)
The coot, Britain's largest rail species, is a plump water bird; it has a greyish body, a black head, and a white bill, above which...
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21 Images
6 Videos
Cormorant (
Phalacrocorax carbo
)
This large water bird has a long neck, giving it something of a primitive, reptilian appearance. Adults are black with a bluish...
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18 Images
5 Videos
Corn bunting (
Miliaria calandra
)
The prolonged song of the male corn bunting, resembling nothing so much as the jangling of a bunch of keys, was once a far more...
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12 Images
4 Videos
Corncrake (
Crex crex
)
Male and female corncrakes are very similar in appearance; both have light yellowish-brown plumage, and the face and upper parts...
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15 Images
3 Videos
Cuckoo (
Cuculus canorus
)
A well-known harbinger of spring, the arrival of the cuckoo in Britain is eagerly awaited each April. Adult males have bluish-grey...
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13 Images
5 Videos
Dipper (
Cinclus cinclus
)
The dipper is a dumpy aquatic bird with a short tail. Adults have dark sooty-black plumage with a prominent bright white bib, and...
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21 Images
0 Videos
Dunnock (
Prunella modularis
)
The dunnock is a common bird of gardens, woods and parks, familiar to many people still under its old name of hedge sparrow. The...
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14 Images
0 Videos
European starling (
Sturnus vulgaris
)
The European starling, a familiar bird in both urban and rural areas, may at first glance be confused with a blackbird due to its...
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28 Images
4 Videos
Gannet (
Morus bassanus
)
The gannet is a magnificent large seabird, with long narrow wings, a long neck, and instantly recognisable plumage. Adults are...
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21 Images
20 Videos
Golden eagle (
Aquila chrysaetos
)
Although the majestic golden eagle is not Britains largest raptor (the white-tailed eagle exceeds it in size) nor is it the rarest...
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30 Images
10 Videos
Goldeneye (
Bucephala clangula
)
The goldeneye is a well-known attractive diving duck. It has a compact shape, with a large rounded head. The upper part of the...
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11 Images
0 Videos
Goldfinch (
Carduelis carduelis
)
The goldfinch is a strikingly beautiful bird, with a bright red face, black and white head and a deep golden yellow bar on the...
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14 Images
0 Videos
Great crested grebe (
Podiceps cristatus
)
The great crested grebe is the largest grebe in Europe. It is a graceful bird, with its long neck, long bill and slender outline....
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18 Images
7 Videos
Great tit (
Parus major
)
The great tit is the largest of the British tits and is a familiar garden visitor. It is slightly smaller in size than a house...
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17 Images
0 Videos
Great-spotted woodpecker (
Dendrocopos major
)
The great spotted woodpecker is the most common and widespread of the British woodpeckers. It has black and white plumage...
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12 Images
5 Videos
Greenfinch (
Carduelis chloris
)
The greenfinch is a well-known bird as it often visits gardens and drives other birds away from feeders. It is a relatively heavy...
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19 Images
0 Videos
Grey heron (
Ardea cinerea
)
The grey heron is the largest heron in Europe . It has a long neck, a strong, dagger-like bill and long yellow legs. In flight, the...
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17 Images
11 Videos
Grey partridge (
Perdix perdix
)
The grey partridge is native to Britain, and was once known simply as 'the partridge'. The introduced red-legged partridge became...
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12 Images
5 Videos
Greylag goose (
Anser anser
)
If you see a wild grey goose in the UK outside the winter months, it will almost certainly be a greylag. The only other wild goose...
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22 Images
0 Videos
Guillemot (
Uria aalge
)
The guillemot is the commonest member of the auk family in the British Isles. The head as well as the upperparts are dark brown...
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25 Images
9 Videos
Herring gull (
Larus argentatus argenteus
)
This familiar gull can be distinguished from other gulls by its large size and grey upperparts, which earn it the alternative names...
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15 Images
10 Videos
Hooded crow (
Corvus cornix
)
The hooded crow, or 'hoodie' is now recognised as a different species to the carrion crow (Corvus corone). Both are around the same...
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12 Images
3 Videos
House sparrow (
Passer domesticus
)
The sparrow is one of Britain's most well-known and best-loved birds. Both sexes have a brown back streaked with black. Males and...
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14 Images
17 Videos
Jackdaw (
Corvus monedula
)
The jackdaw is a lively, diminutive member of the crow family. It appears to have totally dark plumage from a distance, but...
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17 Images
9 Videos
Jay (
Garrulus glandarius
)
The shy jay is a strikingly coloured member of the crow family. It is generally pinkish-brown in colour, with a black tail, whitish...
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15 Images
9 Videos
Kestrel (
Falco tinnunculus
)
The kestrel is our most common diurnal bird of prey, and is often seen hovering over farmland and at the sides of motorways. With...
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17 Images
11 Videos
Kingfisher (
Alcedo atthis
)
The beautiful iridescent plumage of the kingfisher makes it one of our most colourful and instantly recognisable birds; despite...
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17 Images
6 Videos
Lapwing (
Vanellus vanellus
)
The lapwing is a familiar wader of open farmland. It has a striking appearance, with its black and white plumage, iridescent green...
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21 Images
0 Videos
Linnet (
Carduelis cannabina
)
Slightly smaller than a sparrow, the linnet is an attractive finch, which was highly sought after as a cage bird in the...
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15 Images
6 Videos
Little grebe (
Tachybaptus ruficollis
)
The little grebe is also known as the dabchick and is the smallest member of the grebe family. It is a dumpy little bird with...
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15 Images
0 Videos
Species
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91
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In the news
Wednesday 1st July 2009: Celebrating Darwin.
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What's new in ARKive
The gray wood frog was discovered by Charles Darwin in the dense forests of Valdivia, Chile.
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The mangrove finch is the most endangered of Darwin's finches, and is one of the rarest birds worldwide.
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Charles Darwin described the magnificent Chilean wine palm as a "very ugly tree".
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The straight-billed reedhaunter became known as "Darwin's lost bird".
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Darwin's orchid is the subject of a famous story on pollination.
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Darwin's discoveries
During his voyage Darwin collected many specimens, including a greater rhea egg.
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Darwin noted the Vermillion flycatcher as being the only brightly coloured species on the Galapagos.
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Galapagos mockingbirds utilise a wide variety of food sources, including blood and ticks.
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Darwin observed the capybara, the largest rodent in the world, in Montevideo, Uruguay.
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During his stay in Australia, Darwin observed several platypus diving and playing in ponds.
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