Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Pharomachrus ("mantle") mocinno (for naturalist Dr José Mariano Mociño)

Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) at San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: Pharomachrus mocinno costaricensis
Weight: 180-210g  /  Length: 36-40cm + 31-100cm tail in males /  Wingspan: 62cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

I feel there are few who would argue that the Resplendent Quetzal is one of the most beautiful bird species on earth, with the males having long flowing irridescent tails that give them a mythic quality. Indeed, they were associated with the feathered serpent deity Quetzalcoatl of Mesoamerican myth and their plumes, taken from live birds which were then released due to laws preventing their killing, were used by rulers and nobility of certain Mezoamerican cultures as a symbol of wealth and power as part of elaborate headdresses and clothes. 
 
Related Species: 
Order: Trogoniformes
Family: Trogonidae
Genus: Pharomachrus
SUBSPECIES: P. m. mocinno, P. m. costaricensis
 
- Sighting Locations -

COSTA RICA - Spanish - Quetzal
A scarce cloud forest specialist
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at San Gerardo de Dota 

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

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Yellow-throated Toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology:  Ramphastos ("snouted") ambiguus ("wandering")

Yellow-throated Toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus) at Tarcoles, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: "Chestnut Mandibled Toucan" - Ramphastos ambiguus swainsonii
Weight: 584-746g  /  Length: 47-61cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

The largest of Costa Rica's Toucans and one of the largest species of thefamily overall, they are primarily fructivores supplemented by small animals. They are inhabitants of lowland forests, and even human altered habitat like plantations, parks and gardens where the tree density is high enough. They are considered near threatened due to habitat loss and poaching.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Piciformes
Family: Ramphastidae
Genus: Ramphastos
SUBSPECIES: R. a. swainsonii, R. a. ambiguuus, R. a. abbreviatus 
 
- Sighting Locations -

COSTA RICA - Spanish - Tucán de Pecho Amarillo ("Yellow-chested Toucan")
A widespread inhabitant of wet lowland forests
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at Tarcoles 

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

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Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)

OTHER NAMES: Rainbow-billed Toucan, Sulphur-breasted Toucan
Latin Etymology: Ramphastos ("snouted") sulfuratus ("sulphur coloured")

Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) at Alajuela, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: Ramphastos sulfuratus brevicarinatus
Weight: 380-500g  /  Length: 42-55cm  /  Wingspan: 109-153cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

Perhaps behind only the Toco Toucan the Keel-billed Toucan is an iconic member of that family. Their huge bill comproises a third of their length and is used as a versatile tool for feeding on anything from reptiles, invertibrates, eggs and fruit. They are a social species, usually living in small flocks which roost together in a single hole in a tree. They are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for the pet trade.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Piciformes
Family: Ramphastidae
Genus: Ramphastos
SUBSPECIES: R. s. brevicarinatus, R. s. sulfuratus
 
- Sighting Locations -

COSTA RICA - Spanish - Tucán Piquiverde ("Green-beaked Toucan")
A widespread but uncommon species
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at Alajuela 

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

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Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca)

OTHER NAMES: Ferruginous Pochard, Common white-eye, White-eyed Pochard, Fudge Duck
Latin Etymology: Aythya (a seabird named by Aristotle) nyroca (Pochard)

Adult female Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) at Brampton Pits, Cambridgeshire - October 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 460-730g  /  Length: 32-42cm  /  Wingspan: 63-67cm
NO UK STATUS/ IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

An easily overlooked species where its chestnut and coppery colour isn't always apparent when not in clear light - they are a species which breeds in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and in scattered enclaves along the Mediterranean and Middle East, Wintering to the South.  It is however, a fairly regular vagrant to the UK, and 2025 seemed to be a somewhat bumper year for them with a number showing up at various sites, often associating with other aythya species liked common pochard and tufted duck.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Aythya
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A regular vagrant
 - Seen at Brampton Pits, Cambridgeshire in October 2025

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

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Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido)

OTHER NAMES: Pinnated Grouse, Boomer
Latin Etymology: Tympanuchus ("kettle drum sound") cupido ("desire")

Adult female Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) at Buffalo River Grassland Reserve, Minnesota, USA - July 2024

Featured Subspecies: Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus
Weight: 700-1200g  /  Length: 43cm  /  Wingspan: 70-72cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

A large distinctive grouse perhaps most famous for it's booming display where it inflated large bright yellow pouches on the side of it's throat to enable it to make dramatic booming noises to attract mates. It's population has crashed significantly since colonisation and is now only found in a fraction of it's former range with the heath hen subspecies of the East coast entirely extinct and the Attwater's Prairie Chicken population functionally only supported by a robust reintroduction program.

Related Species:
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Tympanuchus
SUBSPECIES: T. c. attwateri, T. c. pinnatus, (formerly T. c. cupido - now extinct)

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES - Endemic to the US - found in several North-Central States
 - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: Seen in Minnesota

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

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Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Quiscalus (unclear origin) quiscula (unclear origin)

 

Juvenile Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) in North Dakota - July 2024

Featured Subspecies: Bronzed Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula versicolor
Weight: 74-142g  /  Length: 28-34cm  /  Wingspan: 35-46cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened 

A common and omnivorous bird that has generally adapted well to human habitation and will nest in made made structures, but nonetheless is considered Near Threatened due to being significantly down from it's historic peak. They have a beak with a special saw like plate inside adapted for making them better at crushing hard nuts.  They also are somewhat attuned to Earth's magnetic field, although the precise purpose and utility of this is still unclear.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae
Genus: Quiscalus
SUBSPECIES: Q. q. quiscula, Q. q. stonei, Q. q. versicolor

 - Sighting Locations -

CANADA -Breeding migrant across South East Canada.
  - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in Alberta

UNITED STATES - Resident in South East USA, migrant Breeding range extends further North and West.
 - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: Seen in Illinois, North Dakota and Montana

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

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Black-winged Pratincole (Glareola nordmanni)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Glareola ("gravel") nordmanni (for Alexander von Nordmann) 

Adult Juvenile in Summer Winter plumage of Species (subspecies ) at Finningley, South Yorshire - July 2024

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 95g  /  Length: 24-28cm  /  Wingspan: 60-68cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

The Black-winged pratincole is a species of wet meadows and marshland in open country - breeding from Eastern Europe to Central Asia and Wintering in Southern Africa. Like all Pratincoles, they hawk for insects on the wing more like swallows than other Charadriiformes.  Similar in appearance to both Oriental and Collared Pratincole, it can be differentiated by suble plumage differences including the namesake dark underside to the wings.  

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Glareolidae
Genus: Glareola
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - An occassional vagrant
 - A vagrant seen at Finningley, in July 2024.

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

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Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Calidris (bird named by Aristotle) pusilla ("very small")

 Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla ) at Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire - October 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 20-32g  /  Length: 13-15cm  /  Wingspan: 35-37cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

A small North American wader which gets its name from the partial webbing between it's toes, the Semipalmated Sandpiper is another Arctic breeding long-distant migrant species that Winters in South America. It turns up as a vagrant in Europe in most years.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant
 - Vagrant seen at Frampton Marshes in October 2023. 

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

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Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Calidris (bird named by Aristotle) subruficollis ("rufous-necked") 

Juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis) at Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire - October 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 63g  /  Length: 19-23cm  /  Wingspan: 46cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

An unusual looking wader that breeds in the Arctic of Alaska, Canada and Russia before taking part in a vast migration down to Winter in Uruguay and the surrounding areas. It's vast migration makes it prone to vagrancy, and has turned up in many parts of the world. They leave the nest within 12 hours of hatching and are able to feed themselves.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant
 - Vagrant seen at Frampton Marshes in October 2023.

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

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Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus)

OTHER NAMES: Pale Harrier
Latin Etymology: Circus (bird named for circling flight)  macrourus ("long-tailed")

Juvenile female Pallid Harrier (subspecies ) at Warham Greens, Norfolk - December 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 380g  /  Length: 40-48cm  /  Wingspan: 95-120cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

Breeding from Eastern Europe to the Steppes of Central Asia, the Pallid Harrier is the only European Harrier species to not regularly be found in the UK - the species gets its name from the pale silver grey of the males plumage. In structure it most resembles the Montagu's harrier but the plumage is much more subtly marked. While it is considered Nea Threatened globally, it does seem to be expanding its range to the West, with several pairs breeding in Western Europe in recent years for the first recorded time.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Circus
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant
 - A wintering vagrant at Warham in December 2022

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

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Red-masked Parakeet (Psittacara erythrogenys)

OTHER NAMES: Cherry-headed Conure, Red-headed Conure
Latin Etymology: Psittacara ("parrot head") erythrogenys ("red cheeked") 

Two Red-masked Parakeet (Psittacara erythrogenys) at San Francisco, California September 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 200g  /  Length: 33cm  /  Wingspan: 56cm
NO UK STATUS /IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

A parrot whose native range is Ecuador and Peru but due to escapees has now established into populations in several pockets of the United States. There is no definite take on the source of this population, but they have succeeded in creating a small and expanding population of around 300 individuals in San Francisco.

Related Species:

Order: Psittaciformes

Family: Psittacidae

Genus: Psittacara

SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 

Small isolated feral populations found in California, Florida, Puerto Rico and Hawai'i
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at San Francisco

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

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Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Phoebastria ("prophetess") nigripes ("black foot") 

Adult Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) on Half Moon Bay Pelagic September 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 2.6-4.3kg  /  Length: 68-74cm  /  Wingspan: 190-220cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

The Black-footed Albatross breeds almost exclusively in the Northwestern Islands of Hawai'i but roams over the entire Northern Pacific. Unusually for an albatross, they have dark plumage throughout their life cycle, save for a slight white mask. They are considered near threatened as they are at risk from fishing, oil spills, floating plastics and on one of it's breeding island, volcanic eruptions. With so much of it's population centred breeding on a small area it is also vulnerable to disasters.

Related Species:
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Diomedeidae
Genus: Phoebastria
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES Hawai'ian: Ka‘upu
Found throughout the North Pacific, breeding in Hawai'i
- CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen on the Half Moon Bay Pelagic Trip

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

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Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Thalasseus elegans

Non-breeding Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) at Monterey, California - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 200-300g  /  Length: 39-43cm  /  Wingspan: 76-81cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

A somewhat paradoxical species - they have incredibly dense breeding colonies but only in a few very specific locations around the Gulf of California, but meanwhile its non-breeding range stretches from central Chile up along the Pacific Coast to the Oregon. They also, from a birding perspective are unusually variable in their non-breeding plumage, with their bills in particular ranging across red, orange, yellow and pink, making it a somewhat frustrating exercise to pick out other species in amongst them.

Related Species:

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Laridae (Formerly Sternidae)

Genus: Thalasseus

SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
Breeds at a single site in California, nn-breeding along Souther Half of West Coast
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Hayward and Monterey 

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

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Heermann's Gull (Larus heermanni)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Larus ("gull") heermanni (named for Adolphus Heermann)

Non-breeding Heermann's Gull (Larus heermanni) at Monterey, California - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 371-643g  /  Length: 43-49cm  /  Wingspan: 104-115cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

Heermann's Gull is by many metrics an oddity among Larus gulls -its the only species in which the normally white breast and head are a silvery grey and also the only species with an all red beak. It also is incredibly selective about where it breeds, with 90%+ of the World's population breeding solely on Isla Rasa in the Gul of Mexico - a 0.21 square mile island otherwise noted for "three small ponds and a small shed" which unfortunately makes them extremely vulnerable to catastrophic events like disease, climate or natural disaster.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Larus
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
Non-breeding visitor to Coastal California, and in lower numbers in Washington and Oregon
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Monterey

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

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Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology:Charadrius (a bird named in the Vulgate Bible) nivosus ("snowy")

Female Snowy Plover (subspecies C. a. nivosus) at Hayward, California - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: Charadrius nivosus nivosus
Weight: 32-58g  /  Length: 15-17cm  /  Wingspan: 34-43cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

A small plover formerly considered to be a population of Kentish Plover, the Snowy is largely resident in coastal areas, though it also breeds inland in certain areas in the South-West quarter of the USA, and into Mexico, associating with bracking water. It is a species that suffers greatly from human disturbance due to being a beach nester, and as such conservation efforts in the USA have largely centred on protecting sites during breeding season.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Charadridae
Genus: Charadrius
SUBSPECIES: C. a. nivosus, C. a. occidentalis

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
A resident of South and West Coasts, also breeding inland on brackish pools
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Hayward

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

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Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)

OTHER NAMES: Lammergeier, Ossifrage 
Latin Etymology: Gypaetus ("Vulture eagle") barbatus ("bearded")

1st Summer Female Bearded Vulture (subspecies G. b. aureus) at Cowbit, Lincolnshire - October 2020

Featured Subspecies: Gypaetus barbatus aureus
Weight: 4.5-7.1kg  /  Length: 105-125cm  /  Wingspan: 250-282cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

The Bearded Vulture is truely one of the more unusual species of raptor - while the other species of vulture have adapted to feeding on carrion, the Lammergeier is a specialist of bone and marrow. They can digest bone itself, and where they are too large to deal with directly, will drop them from great heights to break into them marrow. One of the largest flying bird species in the world, while their range spreads across Africa, Asia and Europe, they are generally confined to isolated pockets in mountainous regions. This particular individual was particularly unusual - while the reintroduced population in the Alps had been expanding rapidly, this third generation young female flew off and ended up moving around the UK.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Gypaetus
SUBSPECIES: G. b. barbatus, G. b. aureus, G. b. meridionalis, G. b. hemachalanus 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A vagrant, believed to be originating in the reintroduced population in the Alps

 - A 1st Summer female was a vagrant in the Summer of 2020, seen at Cowbit in Lincolnshire.

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

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Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea)

OTHER NAMES: Muttonbird
Latin Etymology: Ardenna ("of Ardennes") grisea ("grey")

Adult Sooty Shearwaters (Ardenna grisea) on Half Moon Bay Pelagic - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: None - monotypic
Weight: 650-980g  /  Length: 40-51cm  /  Wingspan: 94-110cm
UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

The sooty shearwater is a somewhat strange species to quantify; it had a vast range that covers much of the Atlantic, Pacific and South Seas ranging from Iceland to nearly Antarctica, and circumnavigates the world. Yet it also has a very very small number of breeding locations - limited entirely to some at the Southern most tip of South America, the East Coast of Australia and a number around New Zealand. Yet because of their pelagic lifestyle they wander the globe hunting for fish and squid, often following whales. They are one of a number of all-dark shearwater species globally, but the only one found in the UK, where they are best seen in late Summer.

Related Species:
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Genus: Ardenna
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A somewhat uncommon pelagic passage migrant.

 - One bird seen on a boat trip off The Lizard, Cornwall, 

UNITED STATES 
Found off Pacific and Atlantic Coasts, including Hawai'i
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Abundant on the Half Moon Bay Pelagic Trip

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

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Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus)

OTHER NAMES: Western Red-footed Falcon
Latin Etymology: Falco ("falcon") vespertinus ("evening")

Second Year Male Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus) at Kinewell Lake, Northamptonshire - May 2020

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 155g  /  Length: 27-32cm  /  Wingspan: 65-75cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

The Red-footed Falcon is a distinctive looking species within its European range - the males are ashen with orange beak, legs and rump, while the females are an unusual mix of tan and grey markings.  They are highly migratory, breeding on Eastern Europe and Russia, and then migrating down to southern Africa in Winter.  Unlike most other European falcons, they sometimes breed colonially. 

Related Species:
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Falco
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - An annually occuring vagrant

 - A vagrant at Kinewell Lake 

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