American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Pluvialis ("plover") dominica ("of Santo Domingo" - now Hispaniola)

Juvenile American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica) at Eyebrook Reservoir, Rutland, UK - October 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 122-194g  /  Length: 24-28cm  /  Wingspan: 65-67cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Formally bunched with the Pacific Golden Plover as the Lesser Golden Plover, the two species have now been split. They breed on the high Tundra of Alaska and Canada and migrate almost the entire length of the Americas down to Patagonia - one of the longest known bird migration routes! They do overlap on passage with Pacific Golden Plover along the West Coast of the US and Canada, and are differentiated by details of plumage and build. They do periodically turn up as vagrants in the UK.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Charadridae
Genus: Pluvialis
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant
 - Seen at Eyebrook Reservoir, October 2025

UNITED STATES 
Breeds in Alaska, a passage migrant elsewhere
- CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Berkeley

 Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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White-Winged Black Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)

OTHER NAMES: White-Winged Tern
Latin Etymology: Chlidonias ("swallow-like") leptopterus ("slender wing")

Summer Adult White-Winged Black Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) at Eyebrooke Reservoir, Rutland - May 2018

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 42-79g  /  Length: 23-27cm  /  Wingspan: 58-67cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The White-Winged Black Tern is certainly one of those species which has a obliquely descriptive name; it indeed resembles pretty much a Black Tern except with white wings.  Unlike it's near namesake, it isn't a regular passage species to the UK instead only turning up as a vagrant as it migrates between Africa and Eastern Europe.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Sternidae
Genus: Chlidonias
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant

 - A single bird seen at  Eyebrooke Reservoir in May 2018.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Anser ("Goose") brachyrhynchus ("short bill")

Flock of Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) Onager Hill, Norfolk - March 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 1.5-3.5kg  /  Length: 60-75cm  /  Wingspan: 135-170cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Pink-footed Goose is probably one of the best examples in the UK of a bird that could be described as locally common.  It visits Britain in the Winter in huge numbers in the areas surrounding some of the major estuary areas such as the Wash, but outside of these it occurs as a vagrant, often associated with other geese species.  This particular one for instance was associating with a large flock of Greylag Geese - a common species in the UK which it's worth checking the flocks of for other grey geese in Winter.  The birds that visit the UK have bred in Greenland and Iceland, while a second population from Svalbard Winters in the Netherlands and Denmark.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anser
Subspecies: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A locally numerous Winter visitor to certain sites - rare elsewhere.

 - Various locations around The Wash, a single bird at Eyebrooke Reservoir in November 2014. 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis)

OTHER NAMES: Teal

Latin Etymology: Anas ("duck") carolinesis ("of Carolina")

Adult male Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis) at Eyebrook Reservoir, Rutland  - January 2012

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 320-340g  /  Length: 34-38cm  /  Wingspan: 52-59cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Evaluated

The Green-winged Teal is the North American equivelant of our Eurasian Teal, and for the most part looks incredibly similar.  It is one of the more regular American vagrants, and so can compared to many, be picked up fairly easily if you happen to catch a report of one.  It is however, superficially very similar to the European species, and the feature to look out for is that vertical white stripe below it's shoulder, and a lack of a white stripe running along the wing. 

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anas
Subspecies: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A regular vagrant from North America.

 - A single individual associating with Common Teal at Eyebrooke Reservoir in January 2012. 

UNITED STATES 
Found throughout.
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen in  Berkeley

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Smew (Mergellus albellus)

OTHER NAMES: White-nun, Weasel Coot
Latin Etymology: Mergellus (diminutive of "Mergus") albellus ("white")

Three Smew (Mergellus albellus) on Pitsford Reservoir, Northants -  January 2011

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 450-650g  /  Length: 38-44cm  /  Wingspan: 56-69cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Smew are distinctive and small species of duck which winters in the UK mainly South of the Wash-Severn line. The males are more or less unmistakable at close range - a very distinctive small white duck with black markings, while the brown and grey females don't stand out so much, but I still feel that somehow they don't look like a typical "British Duck" - having something of an exotic quality to them. They can in theory turn up anywhere, but big bodies of water are probably the best place to look, though it's probably easiest to see where they have been sighted.  Pitsford Reservoir in Northants seems to be a fairly reliable site, but I have also come across odd individuals on other large bodies of water.

Related Species:

Order: Anseriformes

Family: Anatidae

Genus: Mergellus
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A scarce Winter visitor with some regular wintering sites, but often turns up on random bodies of water (c. 180 birds)

 - Pitsford Reservoir often holds small groups in Winter. I've also seen single individuals at Ditchford Gravel Pits and Eyebrook Reservoir. 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

OTHER NAMES: Purre, Plover's Page, Least Snipe, Dunlin Sandpiper
Latin Etymology: Calidris (bird named by Aristotle) alpina ("of the mountains")

Adult breeding plumage Dunlin (subspecies either C. a. alpina or C. a. schinzii) at Trevose Head, Cornwall - July 2019

Featured Subspecies: Calidris alpina alpina OR Calidris alpina schinzii (?)
Weight: 48-64g  /  Length: 17-21cm  /  Wingspan: 32-36cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

One of the UK's commonest wader, this smallish bird can be seen in small groups either on the coast or on inland reservoirs. It is probably best seen on the coast in Winter or on passage however where it arrives in huge numbers. In theory it probably isn't that difficult to photograph, but getting a good photograph might be tricker unless you are at a suitable site. It is generally the most numerous wader on muddy coastal sites and roosts in large numbers.  It has very distinct plumages in Summer and Winter - the Winter being an unremarkable dull grey-brown, while in Summer it gains a russet colour on top and a distinctive black belly patch.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris 
Subspecies: C. a. arcticola, C. a. pacifica, C. a. hudsonia, C. a.arctica, C. a. schinzii, C. a. alpina, C. a. sakhalina, C. a. actites, C. a. kistchinskii

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A scarce and local breeding species (8,600-10,600 pairs) and numerous Winter visitor (360,000 birds)

 - Birds seen commonly at a large number of sites, including but not limited to Rutland Water, Trevose Head, Rainham Marshes, Pitsford Reservoir, Eyebrook Reservoir, Oare Marshes, Elmley Marshes, Herne Bay and Summerleys.

SPAIN - Spanish Name: Correlimos común ("Common Dunlin")

Scarce and Local Resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen at Laguna del Longar.     

Further Information: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

OTHER NAMES: Fish Eagle, Sea Hawk, River Hawk, Aurifigios, Ospreit, Ossifragus

Latin Etymology: Pandion (a mythical Athenian King) haliaetus ("sea eagle")

Adult Western Osprey (subspecies P. a. carolinensis) at Half-Moon Bay, California - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: Pandion haliaetus carolinensis
Weight: 900-2100g  /  Length: 50-66cm  /  Wingspan: 180cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Ospreys are one of the rarer birds currently living in the country - they currently have 150 pairs in the country. However, unlike most birds with such a low population, several factors make them comparatively easy to see for their rarity. Firstly, because they are rare but also visually impressive, their presence makes them something of a tourist attraction. Combined with their rarity this means that many of their nest sites are well observed and infrequently have hides set up to watch them. The majority of the birds are in and around Scotland, but for a much more accessible location, Rutland Water is probably easier to get to for most people. Ospreys are summer visitors, spending their winters in Africa.  Though scarce in the UK, they have a broad global distribution.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Pandionidae
Genus: Pandion
Subspecies: P. h. haliaetus, P. h. carolinensis, P. h. ridgwayi, P. h. cristatus  

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A very local Summer migrant breeding species (200-250 pairs) and passage migrant

 - Birds seen in multiple years at the well publicised viewing sites at Rutland Water

UNITED STATES 
Breeding or resident throughout almost all of Lower 48, Winters only in Southern Florida
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen in Half Moon Bay and Berkeley 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

OTHER NAMES: Goldeneye, Whistler, Cobhead, American Goldeneye

Latin Etymology: Bucephala ("bull headed") clangula ("to resound")

Adult male Common Goldeneye (subspecies B. c. clangula) at Pitsford Reservoir, Northant - February 2022

Featured Subspecies: Bucephala clangula clangula
Weight: 500-1400g  /  Length: 40-52cm  /  Wingspan: 77-83cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Although some birds do breed in Scotland, this is primarily a Winter migrant to most of Britain. The male is a relatively striking bird with the large white spot between it's beak and eye being the easiest way to identify it. Less prominent is the female, which might require slightly more effort to identify as it lacks high contrast plumage, but has a fairly distinct squashed face for a duck.  I found them to be fairly abundant in Hokkaido in particular in Japan, present on the rivers in the Kushiro.

Related Species
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Bucephala
Subspecies: B. c. clangula, B. c. americana

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Rare breeding species (200 pairs) and widespread Winter visitor (27,000 birds)

 - Birds seen in Winter at Rutland Water, Pitsford Reservoir and Ditchford Gravel Pits.

JAPAN - Japanese - ホオジロガモ  /  Hō-jiro-gamo ("White-cheeked Duck")

Locally common Winter migrant.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Common on Hokkaido Coast seen at each of Akkeshi and Kushiro.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Gadwall (Anas strepera)

OTHER NAMES: Grey Duck, Rodge, Sand Wigeon

Latin Etymology: Anas ("duck") strepera ("noisy")

Adult male Gadwall (subspecies A. s. strepera) at Rutland Water, Rutland - February 2016

Featured Subspecies: Anas stepera strepera
Weight: 550-900g  /  Length: 58cm  /  Wingspan: 84-95cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Gadwall are another of our ducks which, while present throughout the year, really appear in numbers during the Winter. They are a little smaller than a mallard, and arguably the least colourful of all of our ducks - the male is grey and brown while the female resembles a female mallard with the blue feathers on the wing replaced with white ones. That being said, it is quite a smart little bird. Definitely easier looked for in the Winter, probably on decent sized bodies of water.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anas
Subspecies: A. s. strepera, A. s. couesi (extinct)

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Rare breeding species (690-1730 pairs) and and widespread Wintering species (25,000 birds)

 - Seen at Rutland Water, Pitsford Reservoir, Ditchford Gravel Pits and Eyebrook Reservoir.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus,IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)

OTHER NAMES: Pintail

Latin Etymology: Anas ("duck") acuta ("sharp pointed")

Adult male Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) at Rutland Water, Rutland - February 2016

Featured Subspecies: N/A

Weight: 500-1450g  /  Length: 50-65cm  /  Wingspan: 80-95cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The pintail is mostly a winter migrant - it breeds in far northern locations such as Iceland, Greenland and Scandinavia before heading south to the UK and their other Wintering grounds.  There is apparently a small breeding population, but generally it is going to be far easier to locate once they have migrated in. The male is quite a striking duck, and it gets its name from (not very surprisingly) its long thin tail, which often sticks directly upright when it is dabbling for food. Look out for it in groups of other ducks in Winter - generally for best views you'll need a hide close to the water which in optimal conditions, will have them feeding very close by.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anas
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Rare breeding resident (9-33 pairs) and Common Winter Visitor (29,000 birds)

 - Seen in Winter at sites including Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes,Pitsford Reservoir and Eyebrook Reservoir.

UNITED STATES 
Found throughout.
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen in  Berkeley

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)

OTHER NAMES: Wigeon, Widgeon, Whew-duck

Latin Etymology: Anas ("duck") penelope (the mythic Penelope)

Four adult Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope) - three male, one female, with Eurasian Coot at Oare Marshes, Kent - March 2012

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 500-1000g  /  Length: 42-52cm  /  Wingspan: 71-80cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The wigeon is a common duck, primarily present in Winter in which it arrives in the UK in numbers exceeding 400,000. It can often be found in coastal marshland in large numbers during this time, although it can also be found on many decently sized bodies of water. Another slightly shy duck that tends to stay a reasonable distance from easy viewing, and thus may be slightly more difficult to photograph.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anas 
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Rare breeding species (300-500 pairs), locally abundant Wintering bird (450,000 birds) 

 - Seen at sites including Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes, Elmley Marshes, Pitsford Reservoir, Ditchford Gravel Pits and Eyebrook Reservoir and Oare Marshes

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

OTHER NAMES: Shoveler

Latin Etymology: Anas ("duck") clypeata ("shield bearing")

Juvenile Northern Shoveller (Anas clypeata) at Kensington Gardens, London - March 2010

Mixed group of adult Northern Shoveller (Anas clypeata) with Grey Plover and Common Teal at Oare Marshes, Kent - January 2013

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 600g  /  Length: 48cm  /  Wingspan: 76cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Shoveler is probably one of my favourite ducks, it has a lovely colour scheme combined with that comically enormous bill that it uses to filter the water for small invertebrates using filter like structures on the inside of the beak.   They are also one of the largest ducks in Europe, making them fairly distinctive for that alone.  While they will be most numerous on invertebrate rich and fairly undisturbed bodies of water, you can actually get some close views of them in certain city parks of them if you are lucky.

Related Species: 

Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anas 
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Scarce breeding species (300-1000 pairs) and locally common Wintering species (18,000 birds)

 - Birds seen at sites including Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes, Regent's Park, Kensington Gardens, Pitsford Reservoir and Eyebrook Reservoir.

SPAIN - Scarce and Local Resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: A few seen at Laguna Navaseca.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

OTHER NAMES: Moorhen

Latin Etymology: Gallinula ("little chicken") chloropus ("green foot")

                                          Adult Common Moorhen (subspecies G. c. chloropus) in Kensington Gardens, London

Featured Subspecies: Gallinula chloropus chloropus

Weight: 250-400g  /  Length: 30-35cm  /  Wingspan: 50-55cm

UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Moorhens are one of the most ever present waterbirds in the UK - a species regularly encountered on bodies of water ranging from small rivers to large bodies of water, though generally sticking to margins.  It is smaller than the coot, and is much more vibrant - with a red and yellow beak and plumage with warm brown tones and white markings in contrast to the stark black and white found on the other species.  Though they can be found in urban settings, they remain a little timid and tend to avoid getting as close as the other equally common waterbirds like mallard and canada goose.

Related Species:
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Gallinula
Subspecies: G. c. chloropus, G. c. meridionalis, G. c. pyrrhorrhoa, G. c. orientalis, G. c. guami

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common Breeding Species (270,000 pairs) and Winter Migrant (approx. 330,000 birds) of lakes and rivers.

 - Birds seen commonly at many river and wetland locations including Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes, Regent's Park, Kensington Gardens, Pitsford Reservoir, Ditchford Gravel Pits and Eyebrook Reservoir. Resident on the river in Geddington.

SPAIN - Spanish - Gallinula

Scarce and Local Resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Several seen at Laguna Navaseca    

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .