Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Limosa (species specific name) haemastica ("bloody)

Moulting adult Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica) at Cattawade, Suffolk - August 2026

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 300g  /  Length: 37-42cm  /  Wingspan: 74cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable 

Arguably the most remote and understudied of the four godwit species, they breed in largely remote near coastal bogs of Alaska and Canada before migrating to the very south of South America, primarily along the Argentinian Coast. This bird was a very off course vagrant having somehow found its way to the UK, where less than 10 individuals have ever been recorded.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Limosa
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 
 
- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Extremely infrequent vagrant.

 - Birds seen at Cattawade, Suffolk 

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

.

Great Curassow (Crax rubra)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Crax ("head") rubra ("red")

 

Female Great Curassow (Crax rubra) at Alajuela, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: Crax rubra rubra
Weight: 3.1-4.8kg  /  Length: 78-100cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

The heaviest and most Northerly of the currasows, they primarily feed by taking windfall fruit from the forest floor. They are a monogamous species which can live over 20 years in the wild althoguh are slow to reproduce. They can have a somewhat aggressive temprament, even having been known to attack humans, in which instance they target the eyes. These birds I saw had moved into the environs of Rescarte Wildlife Rescue Centre, seemingly lured by the prospect of easy food, if somewhat baffled by their counterparts in cages. 

Related Species: 
Order: Galliformes
Family: Cracidae
Genus: Crax
SUBSPECIES: C. r. rubra, C. r. griscomi
 
- Sighting Locations - 

COSTA RICA - Spanish - Paujil

A widespread but scarce resident of lowland forest
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at Alajuela 

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

.

Orange-fronted Parakeet (Eupsittula canicularis)

OTHER NAMES: Orange-fronted Conure, Half-moon Conure, Petz's Conure 
Latin Etymology: Eupsittula ("good little parrot") canicularis ("of the star Sirius")

Flock of Orange-fronted Parakeet (Eupsittula canicularis) at Tarcoles, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: Eupsittula canicularis canicularis

Weight: 68-80g  /  Length: 23-25cm  /  Wingspan: 25cm
NO UK STATUS / Red List: Vulnerable Evaluated 

A bird with an unusual nesting strategy - they dig a cavity in the nest of a particular species of arboreal termite, then leave this nest for a short period to allow the termites time to seal off this hole. At that point, the excavated chamber is used for nesting. They feed on fruit, flowers and seeds and outside the breeding season, form into flocks. It is another species popular in the pet trade, where it is kown as the half-moon conure.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Eupsittula
SUBSPECIES: E. c. clarae, E. c. eburnirostrum, E. c. canicularis
 
- Sighting Locations -

COSTA RICA - Spanish - Peruci Atikero ("Collector Parakeet")
A fairy common resident of the North West
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at Tarcoles

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

.

Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Chaetura ("bristle spine tail") pelagica ("of the sea")

 

Adult Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) at St Charles, Illinois - August 2024

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 17-30g  /  Length: 12-15cm  /  Wingspan: 27-30cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

The common swift of the Eastern United States, they Winter in the North-West of South America. Chimney Swifts are monogamous and usually mate for life. Originally, the Chimney Swift nested in trees but in modern times they have adapted almost entirely to nesting in human structures, including their namesake chimenys. Unlike many Old World swifts, the nest is built with twigs bound together with saliva.

Related Species:
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Apodidae

Genus: Chaetura
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 

A breeding migrant in the Eastern US States.
 - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024:  Seen in Chicago and St Charles

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

.

Pink-footed Shearwater (Ardenna creatopus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Ardenna ("of Ardennes") creatopus ("flesh foot")

 Adult Pink-footed Shearwater (Ardenna creatopus) on Half Moon Bay Pelagic September 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 580-900g  /  Length: 48cm  /  Wingspan: 109cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

The Pink-footed Shearwater is a fairly large Shearwater species found on the waters off the Pacific off the Americas. It breeds primarily on the Juan Fernández Islands and Isla Mocha in Chile and disperses over vast distances as far North as Alaska. It's exact taxonomy is somewhat in dispute as some genetic testing as suggested it is only neglibily different from the similar Flesh-footed shearwater.

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

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
Seen offshore on the Pacific coasts
- CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen on the Half Moon Bay Pelagic Trip
 

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

.

Buller's Shearwater (Ardenna bulleri)

OTHER NAMES: Gray-backed Shearwater, New Zealand Shearwater
Latin Etymology: Ardenna ("of Ardennes") bulleri (named for Sir Walter Lawry Buller)  

Adult Buller's Shearwater (Ardenna bulleri) on Half Moon Bay Pelagic - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 342-425g  /  Length: 46-47cm  /  Wingspan: 97-99cm
NO UK STATUS/ IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

A larger shearwater with a distinctive pale back marked by a large "M" shaped marking across the back of the wings. It nests primarily on the islands of Tawhiti Rahi and Aorangi off the coast of New Zealand where it nests in burrows or crevices. Outside the breeding season it roams much of the Pacific ocean, largely in a clockwise direction.

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

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
- CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen on the Half Moon Bay Pelagic Trip

A pelagic Pacific species seem offshore from the West Coast and Hawai'i

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

.

Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Branta (Old Norse for burnt) ruficollis ("rufous coloured")

Adult Red-breasted Goose (subspecies ) at Blakenham, Norfolk - May 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: g/kg  /  Length: 53-56cm  /  Wingspan: 110-125cm
UK STATUS NOT EVALUATED / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

The Red-breasted Goose is arguably the prettiest of the Goose species - it breed in the Far North of central Russia before descending to Winter along the Western side of the Black Sea. There are however instances when vagrant individuals end up associating with Brent Geese and turning up as vagrants in the rest of Europe, as this particular individual did in 2022. Their taxonomy holds a few points of interest - there is evidence of hybridisation with Brents in their ancestry, and additionally there is a painting in Egypt depicting a similar but unknown species which is not otherwise known today.

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

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant, often associated with Brent Geese.

 - Vagrant at Blakenham in May 2022

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

Leach's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous)

OTHER NAMES: Leach's Petrel
Latin Etymology: Hydrobates ("water walker") leucorhous ("white rumped")

Adult Leach's Storm Petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) at Pitsford Reservoir, Northants - October 2021

Featured Subspecies: Hydrobates leucorhous leucorhous
Weight: 40-50g  /  Length: 19-22cm  /  Wingspan: 45-48cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

The Storm Petrels in general follow some basic themes- very tiny ocean faring birds that generally nest in burrows at night to protect themselves from predators. Leach's Petrels in particularly are an incredibly widely distributed species found across the oceans of much of the Northern Hemisphere below the Arctic Circle. It is slightly larger than the two other regular Storm Petrel species of Europe nad a forked tail. Normally only seen on the open ocean or on the remote islands on which it most commonly breeds, I got lucky in this instance when a single bird appeared on Pitsford reservoir following bad weather.

Related Species:
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Hydrobatidae
Genus: Hydrobates
SUBSPECIES: H. l. leucorhous, H. l. chapmani

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A breeding population of 48,000 pairs that spends much of it's time out in the open ocean.

 - A single storm-wrecked individual at Pitsford Reservoir in October 2021.

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

.

Asian Woolly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus)

OTHER NAMES: Asian Whitenecked Stork, Bishop Stork
Latin Etymology: Ciconia ("stork") episcopus ("bishop" - in reference to a black cap)

Adult Wooly-necked Stork (subspecies C. e. episcopus) at Florican Grasslands, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Ciconia episcopus episcopus
Weight: 1.8kg  /  Length: 75-92cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

Cambodia is a great country for storks, with seven species breeding within it's borders.  Most are heavily associated with wetland habitats as the vast colonies of Prek Toal can attest, but the Wooly-necked is a bit less colonial in it's nesting, and also frequents grassland areas more.  We only saw a single pair of these birds, distantly coming in to land over the Florican Grasslands.  They seem to be in a bit of taxonomic limbo as most sources seem to list a continuous species over Africa and Asia, but also imply the African subspecies have been split off.

Related Species:
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciiconidae
Genus: Ciconia
SUBSPECIES: C. e. microscelis,* C. e. episcopus, C. e. neglecta

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer names: សត្វកសឬត្រុំឬកុកពាក់អំបោះ 

A scarce resident

SINGAPORE / CAMBODIA 2019 TRIP - Two seen very distantly at Florican Grassland Reserve

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

*Some authorities separate this subspecies into a full species as the African Wooly-necked Stork, oddly, the IUCN is the only one of my normal sources to do so, despite usually being more conservative splitters than others. .

Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Leptoptilos ("thin feather") javanicus ("of Java")

Adult Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) at Prek Toal, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: N/A 
Weight: 4-5.7kg  /  Length: 87-93cm  /  Wingspan: 200-210cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

A huge prehistoric looking bird that somehow still manages to be the smallest member of it's genus, the Lesser Adjutant is an increasingly scarce species which has Cambodia as one of it's remaining strongholds.  They were the least numerous of the storks we saw at Prek Toal, with around ten sightings, but when they did appear they certainly made strong impressions - often soaring or perched on exposed tree stumps.  They are a highly predatory species, hunting animals up to the size of small mammals, though will occassionally scavenge.  The name adjutant refers to them being percieved as having a stiff, military like gait, based on the original meaning of the word as an officer who acts as a military assistant.

Related Species:
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciconidae
Genus: Leptoptilos
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer - ត្រដក់តូច ("Little trap")

A scarce, localised resident.

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Reasonable numbers seen at Prek Toal

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

Yelkouan Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan)

OTHER NAMES: Levantine Shearwater, Mediterranean Shearwater
Latin Etymology: Puffinus (Shearwater) yelkouan ("Wind Chaser")

Six Adult Yelkouan Shearwater at Capo Murro di Porco, Sicily, Italy - May 2018

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 395g  /  Length: 30-38cm  /  Wingspan: 76-89cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

There probably hasn't been such a dramatic reappraisal of species in recent decades as that undertaken by the shearwaters.  Bird books from the 90s just list Manx Shearwater and perhaps describe regional differences.  However, more recent analysis has in Europe alone has split the species from 1 to three, with more around the world.  The Yelkouan Shearwater is the species of this complex found more in the Eastern Mediterranean where it largely breeds on smaller islands where it is less disturbed by humans.

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

 - Sighting Locations -

ITALY - Italian: Berta Minora Mediterranea ("Lower Mediterranean Shearwater")
Fairly commonly seen from headlands
 - SICILY 2018 TRIP - Seen from Capo Murro di Porco in several small flocks

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

Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti)

OTHER NAMES: Adalbert's Eagle, Spanish Eagle

Latin Etymology: Aquila ("eagle") adalberti (named for Prince Heinrich Wilhelm Adalbert of Prussia)

Adult Spanish Imperial Eagle at Oropesa, Spain - April 2016 

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 2.5-3.5kg  /  Length: 78-82cm  /  Wingspan: 180-210cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable 

A large and powerful Eagle species that breeds exclusively in the Iberian peninsula, almost purely in Spain, the Spanish Imperial Eagle is thus one of the most threatened raptor species in Europe.  Until comparatively recently, it was considered to be the same species as the (now renamed Eastern) Imperial Eagle found from Central Europe to Central Asia.  Though you can differentiate the two on location alone, the while marks on the forewing make the Spanish Imperial visually distinctive.  Still at risk from illegal poisoning and collisions with power-lines, the Spanish Imperial Eagle is recovering, and can even be seen comparatively close to some of Spain's biggest cities like Madrid and Seville.

 - Related Species -
ORDER: Accipitriformes  
FAMILY: Accipitridae
GENUS: Aquila
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Águila Imperial - ("Imperial Eagle")
Scarce and Local Resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen at Oropesa (1 adult, perched), El Pardo (2 juveniles, flying) and Monfrague (1 adult perched, 1 flying)

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

Great Bustard (Otis tarda)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etmology: Otis ("bustard") tarda ("slow")

Mature adult male Great Bustard (subspecies O. t. tarda) in grasslands in Castille-La-Mancha, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: Otis tarda tarda

Weight: 10-19kg  /  Length: 90-105cm  /  Wingspan: 2.1-2.7m

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

The Great Bustard is a huge bird - the male in particular is possibly the heaviest living flying animal, rivaled only by other large bustard species.  They are I saw this species near Madrid on a guided tour with Luis Sitges who was familiar with where best to see them, though unfortunately due to disturbance caused by people walking along the fields, this was the only individual we saw of this massive species. It was formerly resident in the UK, but due to hunting became extinct by 1840s, but as of 2002 a reintroduction project has begun to re-establish this spectacular bird as a breeding species in England.

Related Species:
Order: Otidiformes
Family: Otididae
Genus: Otis
Subspecies: O. t. tarda, O. t. dybowskii

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Avutarda

 Scarce but locally common resident of farmland.

 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: One male seen at great distance on the farmlands around Madrid 
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Abundant in the surroundings of Laguna del Longar (multiple flocks of around 10 birds, one flock of 90)

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

Steller's Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus)

OTHER NAMES: Steller's Fish Eagle, Pacific Sea Eagle, White-shouldered Eagle

Latin Etymology: Haliaeetus ("sea-eagle") pelagicus ("marine/pelagic")

Adult Steller's Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) from Akan Crane Centre, Hokkaido, Japan - December 2014

Featured Subspecies: N/A

Weight: 5-9kg  /  Length: 85-100cm  /  Wingspan: 200-250cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

If, when I had started this blog you had asked me if I could see any bird in the world at all, the Steller's Sea Eagle would have quite possibly been my answer.  It is, in my opinion at least, just about the most spectacular bird on the planet.  It is enormous, with that wingspan that can reach 2.5m wide.  The beak is enormous and bright yellow and there are prominent white panels on the wings make it distinct from it's relations the Bald and White-tailed eagles.  Hokkaido is pretty much the only plausible place to go see them, and in certain locations (unfortunately beyond where we went on this trip) they can be seen in huge numbers at close range in towns where they live off fishing cast offs.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Haliaeetus
Subspecies: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese: オオワシ / O-washi ("Great Eagle")   ///  Ainu:  Kapacchilikamui ("God-spirit of the Eagles")

Locally Common Visitor to Hokkaido, rare vagrant in the rest of Japan

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: Two seen distantly from Akan Crane Centre in early December.

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

Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca)

OTHER NAMES: Velvet Duck

Latin Etymology: Melanitta ("black duck") fusca ("dusky/black/brown")

Two female Velvet Scoter (subspecies M. f. fusca) at Swithland Reservoir, Leicestershire - December 2012

Featured Subspecies: Melanitta fusca fusca
Weight: 1.1-2.1kg  /  Length: 51-58cm  /  Wingspan: 86-99cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

The Rarest of the UK's Seaducks, and for me at least, the most difficult of the British ducks to see in general (although the Ruddy Duck with its ongoing cull may take that role soon).  Velvet Scoters are large dark ducks which are often seen mingled with the (more numerous but still comparatively rare) Common Scoter.  They can be differentiated by the white patches on their wings in flight, or smaller ones on the faces of both genders and towards the back end of males.  They do occasionally turn up inland (such as these ones) but, are mostly found at sea on the East coast North of the Wash during Winter.  They are considered internationally endangered although their population here is only listed as Amber List.  A handsome bird, be sure to look for some good photos of them as these don't do them justice.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Melanitta
Subspecies: M. f. fusca, M. f. deglandi, M. f. stejnegeri

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Rare and local Wintering species (2500 birds)

 - Vagrant birds seen at Swithland Reservoir (2 adults in December 2012) .

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

Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)

OTHER NAMES: Oldsquaw

Latin Etymology: Clangula ("to resound") hyemalis ("Winter")

Adult female Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) at Chatham Harbour, Kent - January 2012

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 740kg  /  Length: 44-60cm  /  Wingspan: 71cm
UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List Vulnerable

The long-tailed duck is one of the UKs four specialist sea-ducks, and is one of the harder to see.  Unlike Eiders and Common Scoters it does not breed in this country, but Winters here from further north.  From the picture here, you may be wondering about the name, as the there isn't a great deal noticeable about the tail, but, in summer it will gain a spectacularly long upwards curving tail practically the length of the duck again, plus a more striking sharp black and white plumage.  A winter bird, like this one, has got significantly more drab plumage and so isn't quite so impressive.  This specific individual was a bit of an oddity - they are normally found only in flocks from Northumbria upwards, while this individual was alone in a harbour in Kent and had been for months - presumably it had got separated from other birds and blown off course - but as it had apparently been there for months, at least it appeared to have settled to life there and was probably far more tolerant of humans than normal.

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

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Scarce Wintering species (11,000 birds) 

 - Slightly off-course birds seen at Chatham Harbour in January 2012, and another at Queen Mother Reservoir

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