Tetrao urogallus

30/09/2022

Noisy and gregarious, these cheerful exploiters of man's rubbish and wastefulness have managed to colonise most of the world. The ultimate avian opportunist perhaps. Monitoring suggests a severe decline in the UK house sparrow population, recently estimated as dropping by 71 per cent between 1977 and 2008 with substantial declines in both rural and urban populations. While the decline in England continues, Breeding Bird Survey data indicate recent population increases in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What they eat:
Seeds and scraps.

Measurements:
Length: 14-15cm
Wingspan: 21-25.5cm
Weight: 24-38g
Population:
UK breeding: 5,300,000 pairs
Identifying features:
This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

30/09/2022

The honey buzzard is a large bird of prey that is similar to the buzzard. It has got broad wings and a long tail. The plumage is very variable across all ages - typical adults are greyish-brown on its upperparts and whitish underparts.

The nest sites of British breeding birds are usually kept secret to protect them from egg collectors. They are also listed as a Schedule 1 species on The Wildlife and Countryside Act offering them additional protection. Numbers are increasing, perhaps as a result of upland conifer forest maturing. It is a summer visitor to its breeding sites and spends the winter in Africa.

What they eat:
Mainly insect larvae of wasps and bees.

Measurements:
Length: 52-60cm
Wingspan: 135-150cm
Weight: 600-1,100g
Population:
UK breeding: 41 pairs
Identifying features:
This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

30/09/2022

Rufous-capped Warbler, no playback required. Florida Canyon, AZ. Some birders pull a lot of s**t that make them seem completely obliv...

30/09/2022

Many of us recognize this bird, a young male American Redstart, to be a wonderfully easy bird to identify. However, a significant numbe...

23/09/2022

The capercaillie is a huge woodland grouse, the large black males are unmistakable. They spend a lot of time feeding on the ground, but may also be found in trees, feeding on shoots and buds. They are a localised breeding species found in Scottish native pinewood, a rare and vulnerable habitat, and in commercial conifer plantations. The UK capercaillie population has declined so rapidly that it is at very real risk of extinction (for the second time) and is a 'Red List' species.

What they eat:
Berries, shoots and stems.

Measurements:
Length: 60-87cm
Wingspan: 87-125cm
Weight: 3,500-5,000g (male); 1,500-2,500g (female)Population:
UK breeding: 1,100 birds

23/09/2022

23/09/2022