Concise Bird Guide Read online

  VOICE

  Call in flight ‘wicka-wicka-wicka’. Song ‘crweetuu’.

  HABITAT

  Breeds on grassland and flood meadows. Winters in sheltered coastal areas in southern and western Europe. In Britain a scarce breeder in East Anglia and a widespread winter visitor.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Feeds mostly on insects and larvae; also molluscs and worms. Nest a cup well hidden in a tussock.

  Bar-tailed Godwit

  Limosa lapponica

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  37cm. Shorter legged and more robust than Black-tailed Godwit. In flight shows a distinct white rump and a barred tail.

  VOICE

  Flight call nasal, similar to Knot’s.

  HABITAT

  Breeds in Scandinavia and on tundra. Winters on tidal mudflats and sandy shores from Britain southwards.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Probes mud for crabs, shrimps and marine worms in winter; insects taken mainly in summer. Nest a well-concealed scrape on the ground.

  Turnstone

  Arenaria interpres

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  23cm. Boldly marked; looks blacks and white. Short and slightly upturned bill. Rufous markings in breeding plumage give it a tortoiseshell appearance.

  VOICE

  Variety of calls; typically short and nasal.

  HABITAT

  Breeds on stony tundra and along coasts. Winters along rocky coasts and breakwaters from Britain to Mediterranean.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Diet is mainly insects, molluscs and crustaceans, which it finds by using its bill to overturn pebbles, and pieces of seaweed. Nest a shallow scrape well hidden on the ground.

  Ruff

  Philomachus pugnax

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  Male 30cm; female 23cm. Large male has a bright ruff (or partial ruff) of feathers in summer. Female, winter male and juvenile much duller. Legs long and orange; bill slightly decurved, and orange and black in male, blackish in female.

  VOICE

  Usually silent.

  HABITAT

  Coastal lagoons and inland marshes. Summer visitor to northern Europe, where it breeds on tundra and marshland. Resident year-round or winter visitor in south.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Diet is mainly insects, crustaceans, molluscs, amphibians, small fish, and cereals and aquatic plants. Nest a deep cup well hidden in grass.

  Common Snipe

  Gallinago gallinago

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  27cm. Wader most likely to be seen when flushed, flying off in a zigzag fashion. Extremely long bill, striped yellow, and dark brown head and upperparts.

  VOICE

  Hoarse cry when flushed.

  HABITAT

  Breeds on flood meadows and moors, and winters on marshes and wetlands in southern and western Europe.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats mainly worms; also molluscs, insects and other invertebrates. Display flight involves a 45-degree dive, with a bleating noise caused by air rushing through outspread tail feathers. Nest a deep cup well hidden in grass.

  SIMILAR SPECIES

  Jack Snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) At 19cm much smaller than Common Snipe, with a squatter shape, shorter legs and a dark crown lacking a pale central stripe. Breeds on moors and marshes in north. Winters in wet meadows in southern and western Europe.

  Woodcock

  Scolopax rusticola

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  34cm. Steep pale forehead, long bill, laterally striped crown, and marbled brown and buff upperparts. Most likely to be seen in display flight, ‘roding’, at dawn and dusk.

  VOICE

  Call given in display flight, a croak followed by ‘tsiwick’.

  HABITAT

  Woodland with wet swampy areas and open glades and rides, as well as dense undergrowth cover. Summer visitor to north-east Europe. Winters south to Italy.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Diet mostly worms, and also insects and larvae, seeds and grass. Crepuscular. Nest a scrape in leaf litter on the ground.

  Red-necked Phalarope

  Phalaropus lobatus

  Length 18cm. Graceful, with brick-red markings around the head in breeding plumage, and a white throat and belly. Non-breeding birds basically grey striped with white above, and white below. Breeds in ponds and tundra in northern Europe. In Britain small breeding population in Shetland and Hebrides; rare migrant elsewhere. Phalaropes feed by swimming on water, spinning round and picking up flies.

  Grey Phalarope

  Phalaropus fulicarius

  Length 23cm. Similar to Red-necked, but slightly heavier and with a thicker bill. Breeding birds have a rusty-red throat and belly, black cap and white eye patch. Non-breeding birds grey above, white below. In Europe breeds only in Iceland. Winters in south Atlantic and scarce migrant to North Sea and Atlantic coasts, and occasionally inland.

  Great Skua

  Stercorarius skua

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  54 cm. Large thick-set skua that appears dark brown overall. Sexes are similar, and amount of brown in plumage differs. Large white crescent on upper- and underwing visible in flight.

  VOICE

  Call a low ‘tok’.

  HABITAT

  Breeds in colonies on North Atlantic coasts, and winters at sea. Breeds north Scotland; passage migrant elsewhere in Britain.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Harasses other birds into dropping or regurgitating food (klepto-parasitism). Will dive at intruders on its breeding grounds. Nest a bulky grass cup on the ground.

  Arctic Skua

  Sterocarius parasiticus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  40cm. Size of a Common Gull, and the most common of the skuas. Occurs as a dark and pale morph, with brown or whitish underparts, as well as an intermediate variant. More buoyant and graceful flight than that of Great Skua.

  VOICE

  Call a meowing ‘aag-eeoo’.

  HABITAT

  Summer visitor that breeds colonially on northern coasts, islands and tundra, and is migrant elsewhere.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Summer diet consists mostly of birds, small mammals and insects. Winter diet comprises fish, which are usually taken by piracy from other birds. Nest a grass cup on the ground.

  Pomarine Skua

  Stercorarius pomarinus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  46cm. Occurs in a dark and light morph. Juvenile brown and barred. Breeding birds have central tail feathers elongated and twisted by 90 degrees, shaped like spoons.

  VOICE

  Alarm call low ‘geck’.

  HABITAT

  Breeds in tundra. Passage migrant on North Sea and Atlantic coasts, including British coasts.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats lemmings, eggs and birds in summer, fish in winter, sometimes also stealing or scavenging.

  SIMILAR SPECIES

  Long-tailed Skua (S. longicaudus). At 38cm long the smallest skua. Very long tail in breeding birds due to extended central tail feathers. Adult only occurs in a pale morph. Habitat and distribution as for Pomarine Skua.

  Kittiwake

  Rissa tridactyla

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  41cm. Small gull with a grey back and wings, white head and underparts, dark eye, yellow bill and black legs. Solid black wingtips separate it from Common Gull, which has white ‘windows’. Juvenile has a dark ‘W’ shape across wingspan.

  VOICE

  Calls its own name, ‘kitt-ee-wayke’.

  HABITAT

  Breeds on cliffs in northern Europe, but otherwise almost entirely marine.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Feeds on fish, worms, molluscs and crustaceans. Nests in colonies on cliff ledges.

  Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  37cm. In winter the head is white with a grey-brown crescent behind the eye. Breeding bir
ds have a chocolate-brown head. Bill is red and finer than bills of most other European gulls.

  VOICE

  Noisy when in flocks. Calls include a strident ‘kee-yah’.

  HABITAT

  Breeds in colonies on moorland bogs, freshwater marshes and lakes, and in reed beds across northern Europe. In winter common on ploughed fields and coasts, and in town parks, playing fields and large gardens.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Feeds on seeds and invertebrates, and scavenges in rubbish. Nest a large mound of flotsam and grass erected on the ground.

  SIMILAR SPECIES

  Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) At 26cm the smallest British gull. Adult in breeding plumage like a tiny Black-headed Gull. Juvenile has a blackish cap and a spot behind the eye. Breeds north-eastern Europe. Winters on coasts from Britain south to Mediterranean.

  Mediterranean Gull

  Larus melanocephalus

  Length 39cm. Similar to Black-headed Gull but larger and stockier, with a heavier bill. Black hood in breeding birds extends far down the nape; patch behind and above the eye in winter. Scarce in Britain except in some sites in southern England.

  Glaucous Gull

  Larus hyperboreus

  Length 65cm. White-winged gull from the Arctic similar to a large and powerful light-coloured Herring Gull with a heavy bill. Winters in north Atlantic south to Britain and northern France. In Britain most regular in north and west.

  Iceland Gull

  Larus glaucoides

  Length 55cm. Arctic gull almost identical in all forms to Glaucous Gull, but more slender and delicate, and with a ‘kinder’ face due to a more rounded head and smaller bill. Breeds in Greenland. Winters in North Atlantic south to Britain.

  Common Gull

  Larus canus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  41cm. Resembles a small Herring Gull, but the legs are yellow-green and the bill lacks a red spot. Grey upperparts, white below, black wingtips and a ‘kind’ facial expression. Juvenile is streaked brown.

  VOICE

  Higher pitched than that of large gulls.

  HABITAT

  Coasts; breeds on moorland and freshwater lochs. Mainly resident in Britain, with winter visitors from northern Europe. After breeding many birds move south.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Feeds on earthworms, insects, seeds, small mammals, birds and marine invertebrates. Nest a grassy cup on the ground.

  Herring Gull

  Larus argentatus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  61cm. Silver-grey upperparts, black wingtips, white head and underparts, yellow bill with a red spot, and pink legs. In winter the head and neck are streaked brown.

  VOICE

  Wide variety of wailing calls. Loudest is ‘kyow-kyow-kyow’.

  HABITAT

  Coasts and inshore waters. In northern Europe abundant on coasts, and common inland in winter. Breeding increasingly inland.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Diet includes fish, crustaceans, carrion and birds. Nest a bulky mound of flotsam and grass.

  SIMILAR SPECIES

  Yellow-legged Gull (L. michahellis). 55cm long. Similar to Herring Gull, but looks heavier with longer wings, and has a heavier bill and longer legs, yellow in adult; adult darker grey above. In Britain occurs in southern England, breeding rarely on coast.

  Lesser Black-backed Gull

  Larus fuscus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  55cm. Dark grey back, white head and underparts, yellow bill with a red spot, and yellow legs. Juvenile brown, slightly darker than Herring Gull.

  VOICE

  Loud calls, deeper than Herring Gull’s.

  HABITAT

  Coasts and sea. May breed on inland fresh waters.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats almost anything, including fish, small mammals, birds and their eggs, and carrion. May feed at rubbish tips. Nest a bulky mound of flotsam and grass.

  Great Black-backed Gull

  Larus marinus

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  72cm. Very large gull with black upperparts, a white head and underparts, a yellow bill with a red spot, and pink legs. Juvenile is brown.

  VOICE

  Deep hoarse calls, ‘uk-uk-uk’.

  HABITAT

  Coasts and islands during breeding season. At other times also on estuaries and inland fresh waters.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats a wide variety of creatures, including fish, birds, mammals and carrion. May feed at rubbish tips. Nest built from flotsam and seaweed on a ledge.

  Sandwich Tern

  Sterna sandvicensis

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  41cm. Large tern with pale plumage, rather short black legs, and a long and slender black bill. Breeding adults have a black crown with a shaggy crest, and a yellow tip to the bill. White forehead in winter.

  VOICE

  Distinctive harsh ‘kirrick’.

  HABITAT

  Nests in enormous crowded colonies on sand or shingle banks along coasts. Winters in Mediterranean and further south.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats fish and other marine invertebrates. Nest a simple scrape in sand.

  Common Tern

  Sterna hirundo

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  35cm. Grey upperparts, a black crown, and dark red legs and bill, which has a black tip. Long forked tail. White forehead in winter.

  VOICE

  Call is a strident ‘keeyah’ and ‘wik-kik-kik’.

  HABITAT

  Breeds on islands and inshore waters near low-lying coasts and gravel pits. On passage occurs on lakes and inland waters. Mostly a summer visitor, wintering outside Europe.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats fish, worms, insects, molluscs and crustaceans. Often dives for fish. Nests on dunes, salt marshes and shingle banks, in colonies or as single pairs.

  Arctic Tern

  Sterna paradisaea

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  35cm. Breeds mostly by coast in northern Britain. Elsewhere generally seen on passage. Similar to Common Tern, but with a blood-red bill. In winter has a white forehead with a black bill. Tends to have longer tail streamers.

  VOICE

  Calls similar to those of Common Tern; also a high whistling ‘kee, kee’.

  HABITAT

  More maritime than Common Tern. Breeds in colonies along north European coasts. Winters off Africa.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats fish, insects, molluscs and crustaceans. Nest a shallow scrape in grass or sand.

  Little Tern

  Sternula albifrons

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  23cm. Smallest of the black-capped ‘white’ terns. The tail is short and barely forked, and the wings are narrow. Breeding adult has a neat white forehead, yellow bill with a black tip, and orange legs. Winter adult and juvenile are duller.

  VOICE

  Chattering calls.

  HABITAT

  Breeds on flat sandy and shingly coastal beaches, and inland in continental Europe on stony lakes and rivers. Summer visitor to northern Europe.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Diet consists of small fish and invertebrates. Often hovers, employing very rapid wingbeats, before plunge-diving. Nesting birds on beaches are sensitive to disturbance, so decreasing where it is not fully protected.

  Black Tern

  Chlidonias niger

  Length 23cm. Marsh terns like this species have shorter tails and broader wings than ‘sea’ terns, and pick insects and larvae from the water’s surface rather than plunge-diving. Breeding plumage is sooty black with paler wings and a white undertail, turning blotchy in summer. Breeds colonially on freshwater inland swamps and marshes in southern, central and eastern Europe. Winters outside Europe. In Britain uncommon, occurring mainly in south.

  Roseate Tern

  Sterna dougallii

  Length 38cm. Similar to Common and Arctic Terns, but rarer. Breeding birds have an al
most black bill with a flush of red at the base. The breast may have a pinkish (roseate) flush. Breeds very locally on coasts of Britain, Ireland and north-west France. Winters in Africa.

  Razorbill

  Alca torda

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  41cm. A black-and-white bird with a strong vertically flattened black bill. Juvenile and non-breeding birds have a white throat.

  VOICE

  Makes a whirring sound and growls.

  HABITAT

  Breeds on sea cliffs in northern Europe; winters at sea.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Diet almost entirely marine creatures. Fish are caught by diving from the water’s surface and pursuing prey underwater by flapping the wings like flippers. Flight fast and whirring, usually low over the water. Breeds in colonies on rocky coasts with cliffs.

  Common Guillemot

  Uria aalge

  SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

  43cm. The most common auk in Europe. Has short stubby wings, pied plumage and short legs. Upperparts are black/brown. Some birds have a white line over the eye and are known as ‘bridled’. In winter the throat is white.

  VOICE

  Call is a caw, ‘aargh’.

  HABITAT

  Breeds on sea cliffs in northern and western Europe, otherwise totally marine in North Sea and Atlantic.

  FOOD AND HABITS

  Eats fish and other marine animals. Lays eggs on narrow cliff ledges. Colonies can comprise many thousands of pairs.