Species found in Ireland

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Species 1 - 50 of 204 [ next ]

Albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga)
This large, oceanic fish is built for speed, with a torpedo-shaped body, smooth skin and streamlined fins. The albacore tuna is... More 1 Image 0 videos
Angel shark (Squatina squatina)
With its exceptionally flat body and large pectoral fins, the angel shark resembles a large ray more than a shark. Its skin is grey to... More 8 Images 0 videos
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 range to... More 21 Images 0 videos
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
The Atlantic salmon, 'the leaper', has been called the king of fish, due primarily to their spectacular ability to clear seemingly... More 9 Images 4 Videos
Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus)
The Atlantic white-sided dolphin is a large, robust species, which is easily recognised by the obvious yellow patch towards the rear of the... More 2 Images 0 videos
Badger (Meles meles)
With its striking black and white striped head, the badger is one of our most instantly recognisable mammals. The rest of the stocky body... More 11 Images 17 Videos
Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus)
One of the rarest seabirds in the world, the Balearic shearwater flies gracefully over the ocean waves with shallow wing-beats on stiffly... More 12 Images 0 videos
Bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus)
The bank vole has a small, stocky body and a blunt, rounded muzzle. The upperparts may be yellowish, reddish or brown in colour, the flanks... More 15 Images 4 Videos
Barbastelle bat (Barbastella barbastellus)
This rare medium-sized bat has a short nose, small eyes and wide ears with a triangular shaped tragus. It has long silky fur, dark brown to... More 2 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, and the... More 19 Images 10 Videos
Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis)
Information on the barnacle goose is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly... More 37 Images 0 videos
Black rat (Rattus rattus)
Also known as the ship rat, the black rat was introduced to Britain with the Romans. Generally smaller than the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus... More 7 Images 1 Video
Black tern (Chlidonias niger)
Information on the black tern is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly... More 19 Images 4 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 brown hood... More 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 white bar on... More 21 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 the eye... More 24 Images 9 Videos
Blainville’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris)
A particularly easy species to identify, Blainville’s beaked whale has two distinctive horn-like teeth that grow from bulges in the lower... More 4 Images 0 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 is crowned with... More 16 Images 9 Videos
Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
The bottlenose dolphin is one of the most well-known species of dolphin. There appear to be two main varieties; a smaller, inshore form and... More 22 Images 2 Videos
Brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri)
Lampreys are some of the most primitive vertebrates alive today, they are known as cyclostomes, which means 'round mouths' and refers to the... More 1 Image 0 videos
Brown hare (Lepus europaeus)
The general form and structure of the brown hare resembles that of the rabbit, but obvious differences include the hare's longer, larger... More 18 Images 5 Videos
Brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus)
The brown long-eared bat is the second most common bat in Great Britain after the pipistrelles. As the name suggests, it has exceptionally... More 10 Images 5 Videos
Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus)
The brown or Norway rat is a supreme generalist; its opportunistic lifestyle, agility and prolific breeding potential have helped it to... More 13 Images 13 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 upperparts... More 13 Images 4 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 slate-grey... More 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... More 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 they reveal... More 19 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 females... More 12 Images 4 Videos
Common blue damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
Dragonflies and damselflies can appear alarming to some people, and their old English country names of ‘horse-stingers’ and ‘devil’s darning... More 13 Images 0 videos
Common buzzard (Buteo buteo)
One of the most common raptor species in Europe, this medium-sized bird of prey is recognisable for its rounded head and tail, broad wings... More 28 Images 8 Videos
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 in numbers as... More 14 Images 2 Videos
Common eel (Anguilla anguilla)
The common or European eel has a very unusual and fascinating life cycle. Adults have long, narrow bodies, with a continuous dorsal, anal... More 15 Images 4 Videos
Common frog (Rana temporaria)
Undoubtedly Britain's most well-known amphibian, the common frog is often found in garden ponds. They are typically brown or greyish in... More 22 Images 4 Videos
Common guitarfish (Rhinobatos rhinobatos)
Information on the common guitarfish is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly... More 3 Images 1 Video
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 herring gull... More 12 Images 0 videos
Common loon (Gavia immer)
Information on the common loon is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly... More 14 Images 0 videos
Common otter (Lutra lutra)
The elusive common otter has sleek brown fur, which is often paler on the underside, and a long lithe body with a thick tail and short legs... More 16 Images 18 Videos
Common rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus)
Information on the common rosefinch is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly... More 12 Images 1 Video
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 black bill... More 5 Images 1 Video
Common seal (Phoca vitulina)
Also known as the harbour seal, the common seal is the smaller of the two breeding seals in Great Britain. When hauled out it often adopts a... More 10 Images 6 Videos
Common skate (Dipturus batis)
The common skate is the largest European ray. The undersurface is dark grey with black spots or stripes and the uppersurface is more of a... More 2 Images 0 videos
Common smoothhound (Mustelus mustelus)
Information on the common smoothhound is currently being written and researched and will appear here shortly... More 1 Image 0 videos
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 there is... More 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 or green... More 24 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 familiar... More 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 of the... More 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... More 13 Images 5 Videos
Curlew sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
The curlew sandpiper is a medium-sized shorebird that has very distinctive breeding plumage and an extraordinary down-curved bill. Typically... More 16 Images 0 videos
Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris)
In 1823, after mistaking a fragment of skull for a fossil, the French naturalist Georges Cuvier described a seemingly extinct species of... More 8 Images 0 videos
Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii)
Daubenton's bat is a medium-sized to small species. The fur has a fluffy appearance, is brownish-grey to bronze on the back, and silvery... More 7 Images 4 Videos