List of birds of Great Britain

This list of birds of Great Britain comprises all bird species that have been recorded in a wild state in Great Britain. It follows the official British List, maintained by the British Ornithologists' Union (BOU). Decisions relating to the British List are published by the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (BOURC) in its annual reports in the BOU's journal Ibis. These reports were formerly geographically based and included the whole of the British Isles, but records for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are now published by their own ornithological associations. Records from the Isle of Man are adjudicated by the Manx Ornithological Society.
Bird species admitted to the British List are those in BOU categories A, B or C:
Birds can be listed in more than one category: for example, the Canada goose has a large introduced population but there have also been a few naturally occurring vagrants, and the white-tailed eagle is a native species that is also subject to an ongoing reintroduction project, so both species meet the criteria for categories A and C.
Categories D and E (not listed here) are used for record keeping only, and species in these categories are not included in the British List:
A further category (not listed here) is being compiled:
As of 13 August 2024, there are 641 species of birds on the British List, the latest addition being western olivaceous warbler on 20-21 October 2023. Five species groups (birds that were not identified to species level) are included in an appendix to the December 2023 amendment – southern/northern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus/halli), Fea's/Desertas petrel (Pterodroma feae/desertas), black-bellied/white-bellied storm petrel (Fregetta tropica/grallaria), brown/south polar skua (Stercorarius antarctica/maccormickii), and Asian/Mediterranean/Turkestan short-toed lark (Alaudala cheleensis/rufescens/heinei). A number of additional species are awaiting consideration by the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee.
Species listed on this page as "rare" are those for which a full description is required for acceptance of the record by the British Birds Rarities Committee. Other species have an indication of their breeding and wintering status in Great Britain.
In general the avifauna of Britain is similar to that of the rest of Europe. Because of its mild winters, Great Britain has a considerable population of wintering species, particularly ducks, geese and swans. There are also a number of species, such as the oystercatcher, that are resident on the island of Great Britain, but migrants elsewhere. Britain receives a number of vagrants from Asia and North America. Some American gulls, ducks and waders are regular enough not to be considered rare, including the ring-billed gull, surf scoter and pectoral sandpiper. There is one endemic bird species found in Great Britain: the Scottish crossbill.
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae
The swans, ducks and geese are medium to large birds that are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet and bills which are flattened to a greater or lesser extent. In many ducks the male is colourful while the female is dull brown. The diet consists of a variety of animals and plants. The family is well represented in Britain, especially in winter when large numbers visit from Greenland, Scandinavia and Russia.
Order: Galliformes Family: Phasianidae
These are terrestrial species, feeding and nesting on the ground. They are variable in size but generally plump, with broad and relatively short wings. Four of these were introduced for hunting or ornamental purposes but two have now died out.
Order: Caprimulgiformes Family: Caprimulgidae
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs and very short bills. Their soft plumage is cryptically coloured to resemble bark or leaves.
Order: Apodiformes Family: Apodidae The swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces.
Order: Otidiformes Family: Otididae
Large, sturdy birds of open plains with long legs and necks and strong feet. They are all rarities.
Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculidae
Birds of variable size with slender bodies and long tails. Some species are known for laying their eggs in the nests of other birds.
Order: Pterocliformes Family: Pteroclidae
Sturdy, medium-sized birds with a small head and long, pointed wings.
Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae
Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. There are 344 species worldwide, seven in Britain.
Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae
These birds mainly occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, marshes or rivers. Many are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces.
Order: Gruiformes Family: Gruidae
Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances".
Order: Podicipediformes Family: Podicipedidae
Grebes are small to medium-large diving birds with lobed toes and pointed bills. They are seen mainly on lowland waters and coasts. They feed on aquatic animals and nest on a floating platform of vegetation.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Burhinidae
A small family of medium to large waders with strong black bills, large yellow eyes and cryptic plumage.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Haematopodidae
The oystercatchers are large, obvious and noisy wading birds with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs. There are eleven species worldwide with one in Britain.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Recurvirostridae
A family of fairly large wading birds. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. There are ten species worldwide with two in Britain.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae
Small to medium-sized wading birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Scolopacidae
A large, diverse family of wading birds. Different lengths of legs and bills enable multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Glareolidae
A family of slender, long-winged wading birds.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Laridae
Medium to large seabirds with grey, white and black plumage, webbed feet and strong bills. Many are opportunistic and adaptable feeders.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Stercorariidae
Medium to large seabirds with mainly grey or brown plumage, sharp claws and a hooked tip to the bill. They chase other seabirds to force them to drop their catches.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Alcidae
A family of seabirds which are superficially similar to penguins, with their black-and-white colours, upright posture and some of their habits, but which are able to fly.
Order: Phaethontiformes Family: Phaethontidae
Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings.
Order: Gaviiformes Family: Gaviidae
Divers are aquatic birds the size of a large duck, to which they are unrelated. They swim well and fly adequately but are almost helpless on land, because their legs are placed towards the rear of the body. They feed on fish and other aquatic animals.
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Oceanitidae
The southern storm petrels are the smallest seabirds, feeding on plankton and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. They nest in colonies on the ground, most often in burrows.
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Diomedeidae
The albatrosses are among the largest flying birds, with long, narrow wings for gliding. The majority are found in the Southern Hemisphere with only vagrants occurring in the North Atlantic.
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Hydrobatidae
The northern storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds, feeding on plankton and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. They nest in colonies on the ground, most often in burrows.
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Procellariidae
These are highly pelagic birds with long, narrow wings and tube-shaped nostrils. They feed at sea on fish, squid and other marine life. They come to land to breed in colonies, nesting in burrows or on cliffs.
Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Ciconiidae
Storks are large, heavy, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long stout bills and wide wingspans. They fly with the neck extended.
Order: Suliformes Family: Fregatidae
Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black-and-white, or completely black, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have colored inflatable throat pouches. They do not swim or walk and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week.
Order: Suliformes Family: Sulidae
Gannets are large seabirds that plunge-dive for fish and nest in large colonies. They have a torpedo-shaped body, long, narrow, pointed wings and a fairly long tail. There are ten species worldwide with three in Britain.
Order: Suliformes Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Cormorants are medium to large aquatic birds with mainly dark plumage and areas of coloured skin on the face. The bill is long, thin and sharply hooked for catching fish and aquatic invertebrates. They nest in colonies by water, usually by the sea or on the banks of rivers.
Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Threskiornithidae
A family of long-legged, long-necked wading birds. Ibises have long, curved bills. Spoonbills have a flattened bill, wider at the tip.
Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Ardeidae
Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and more secretive. They all fly with their necks retracted. The sharp bill is used to catch fish, amphibians and other animals. Many species nest in colonies, often in trees. There are 64 species worldwide and 15 in Britain.
Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Pelecanidae
Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. As with other members of the order Pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes.
Order: Accipitriformes Family: Pandionidae
A large fish-eating bird of prey belonging to a family of its own. It is mainly brown above and white below with long, angled wings.
Order: Accipitriformes Family: Accipitridae
A family of birds of prey which includes hawks, buzzards, eagles, kites and harriers. These birds have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons and keen eyesight.
Order: Strigiformes Family: Tytonidae
Barn owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons.
Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae
Typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disc.
Order: Bucerotiformes Family: Upupidae
A small family with a long curved bills, crests and black-and-white striped wings and tails.
Order: Coraciiformes Family: Coraciidae
A small family of colourful, medium-sized birds with a crow-like shape that feed mainly on insects.
Order: Coraciiformes Family: Alcedinidae
Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails.
Order: Coraciiformes Family: Meropidae
A group of near-passerine birds characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies and usually elongated central tail-feathers.
Order: Piciformes Family: Picidae
Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.
Order: Falconiformes Family: Falconidae
A family of small to medium-sized, diurnal birds of prey with pointed wings. They do not build their own nests and mainly catch prey in the air.
Order: Psittaciformes Family: Psittaculidae
Parrots are small to large birds with a characteristic curved beak shape. They are found mainly in areas with warm climates.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Tyrannidae
A large family from the Americas.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Laniidae
Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Vireonidae
The vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerine birds restricted to the New World.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Oriolidae
The orioles are medium-sized passerines, mostly with bright and showy plumage, the females often have duller plumage than the males The beak is long, slightly curved and hooked. Orioles are arboreal and tend to feed in the canopy. There are 36 species worldwide, one of which has been recorded in Great Britain.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae
The crows and their relatives are fairly large birds with strong bills and are usually intelligent and adaptable.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Bombycillidae
The waxwings are a group of passerine birds characterised by soft, silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Paridae
Tits are mainly small, stocky, woodland species with short stout bills. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Remizidae
Small birds with finely pointed bills that build purse-like nests hanging from a branch.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Panuridae
A single species formerly placed in the family Sylviidae.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Alaudidae
Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Hirundinidae
The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Cettiidae
A recently split family formerly placed in the Sylviidae family. There are 32 species worldwide, with one found in Britain.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Aegithalidae
Small, long-tailed birds that typically live in flocks for much of the year. There are 13 species worldwide with one in Britain.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Phylloscopidae
A recently split family of small insectivorous birds, formerly included within the Sylviidae. There are 81 species, with 16 in Britain.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Acrocephalidae
A small, insectivorous and vocal group of species, formerly included within the family Sylviidae.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Locustellidae
A recently split family, previously part of the family Sylviidae.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Cisticolidae
A group of insectivorous species, previously included within the family Sylviidae.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Sylviidae
A group of small insectivorous birds.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Regulidae
A family of very small birds.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Troglodytidae
Wrens are small and inconspicuous birds, except for their loud songs. They have short wings and thin down-turned bills.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Sittidae
Nuthatches are small woodland birds with the unusual ability to climb down trees head-first, unlike other birds which can only go upwards.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Tichodromadidae
One species, in its own family, a rare visitor to Britain.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Certhiidae
Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below. They have thin, pointed, down-curved bills, which they use to extricate insects from bark.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Mimidae
Medium-sized passerine birds with long tails. Some are notable for their ability to mimic sounds such as other birds' songs.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Sturnidae
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds with strong feet. Their flight is strong and direct and most are very gregarious.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Turdidae
The thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Muscicapidae. Subfamily: Muscicapinae
The flycatchers and chats are small, mainly insectivorous birds. The flycatchers fly out from a perch to catch insects in the air.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Cinclidae
Dark, dumpy, aquatic birds which are able to forage for food on the beds of rivers.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Passeridae
Sparrows tend to be small, plump, brownish or greyish birds with short tails and short, powerful beaks. They are seed-eaters and they also consume small insects.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Prunellidae
A small family of drab, unobtrusive, insectivorous birds with thin, pointed bills.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Motacillidae
Motacillidae is a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They are slender, ground-feeding insectivores of open country.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Fringillidae
Seed-eating passerine birds that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Calcariidae
A small family of migratory seed eating birds.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Emberizidae. A large group of seed-eating passerine birds with a distinctively shaped bill.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Passerellidae.
A seed eating group of species, recently split from the family Emberizidae.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Icteridae.
The icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful passerine birds restricted to the New World and include the grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Parulidae
A group of small, often colourful passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most are arboreal and insectivorous.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Cardinalidae
The cardinals are a family of robust, seed-eating birds with strong bills. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinct plumages.
The links above lead to family accounts and individual species. Taxonomy is very fluid in the age of DNA analysis, so other arrangements may be found, as in Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy.
The following species have been recorded recently and the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee has not yet made a decision on whether to accept them onto the British List.