Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

OTHER NAMES: Swallow, Common Swallow

Latin Etymology: Hirundo ("swallow") rustica ("rural")

Adult Barn Swallow (subspecies H. r. rustica) at Geddington, Northants - May 2013

Featured Subspecies: Hirundo rustica rustica
Weight: 16-22g  /  Length: 17-19cm  /  Wingspan: 32.34cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A widely spread bird, the Swallow is almost certainly one of the easier species to see in the UK and they Summer right across Eurasia; I also saw this species feeding over rivers on my visit to Japan. In the Winter they migrate southwards, in the case of the UK birds, to Sub-Saharan Africa. Swallows are insectivores and next under eaves and in barns - they are perhaps not quite as common as the smaller sand martin, but their very forked tail, glossy blue coloration and red throat makes them easy to distinguish if you get a good view. As with other high speed aerial feeders - photographing them is substantially harder than seeing them - for a compact camera like mine, I would recommend manually focusing to the approximate height at which they are flying and then taking photos until you get them. Alternatively, just wait until you catch them landed - they often perch on wire fences or overhead cables.

Related Species: 
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Genus: Hirundo
Subspecies: H. r. rustica, H. r. transitiva, H. r. savignii, H. r. tytleri, H. r. gutturalis, H. r. mandschurica, H. r. erythrogaster

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common Summer migrant (860,000 territories)

 - Birds seen at sites including Rutland Water, Trevose Head, Rainham Marshes, Elmley Marshes, and Geddington.

CAMBODIA  - Khmer name: ត្រចៀកកាំ

- A localised resident.

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Common at Prek Toal

ITALY -  Italian - La Rondine Comune ("Common Swallow")

A common Summer migrant.

 - SICILY 2018 TRIP -  Very common throughout.

JAPAN - Japanese - ツバメ  /  Tsubame ("Swallow")
Fairly common Summer migrant.  Subspecies H. r. gutturalis.

 - KYOTO 2013 TRIP: Several seen at Arashiyama. 

SPAIN - Spanish - Golondrina común ("Common Swallow")

Scarce and Local Resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen flying over Laguna Navaseca.

UNITED STATES 
Found across the entire Lower 48 and Hawai'i
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Berkeley, San Francisco, San Jose etc

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

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Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)

OTHER NAMES: Black head, Masked Gull, Peewit Gull, Common Black Headed Gull

Latin Etymology: Chroicocephalus ("stained head") ridibundus ("laughing")

Adult Summer plumage Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) at Summer Leys, Northants - April 2026

Featured Subspecies: N/A

Weight: 200-400g  /  Length: 38-44cm  /  Wingspan: 94-105cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List - Least Concern

Probably the most common and easy to see member of the gull family, it is smaller than most of Britain's gulls and in the summer can be easily distinguished from all the other common gulls (but not the little gull or Mediterranean gull) by it's namesake "black head" which is actually brown (whereas the Mediterranean gull's head is actually black). In the winter it has a white head white black blotches, as can be seen in the above picture. It can be found in a very wide variety of habitats - cities, any largish bodies of water, towns, fields and the coast being common ones - really no one should have the slightest bit of trouble location dozens of these birds with ease

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Chroicocephalus
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common breeding resident (140,000 pairs) and abundant Winter Visitor (2,200,000 birds)

 - Birds seen commonly at a large number of sites, including but not limited to Rutland Water, Trevose Head, Rainham Marshes, Regent's Park, Kensington Gardens, Pitsford Reservoir, Ditchford Gravel Pits, Eyebrook Reservoir and Geddington.

JAPAN - Japanese - ユリカモメ / Yuri kamome ("Lily Gull")

Winter visitor.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: A few seen around Kamakura.

SPAIN - Spanish -  Gaviota reidora ("Laugher Gull")

Scarce and Local Resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Abundant at Laguna Navaseca.

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

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Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)

OTHER NAMES: Thirstle, Throstle, Whistling Thrush

Latin Etymology: Turdus ("thrush") philomelos ("nightingale")

Adult Song Thrush (subspecies T. p. clarkei) at Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall - April 2015

Featured Subspecies: Turdus philomelos clarkei
Weight: 50-107g  /  Length: 20-23.5cm  /  Wingspan: 33-36cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

After the blackbird, the song thrush is the most numerous of our resident thrushes - it is more delicate in size and appearance than it's relation the mistle thrush. It feeds on snails and can frequently be found bashing them against stones to break their shells. Apparently it is declining in the UK, but is still a regular sight in appropriate habitats.  As their name suggests they are fairly impressive singers, and their call can often help locate them in high trees.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
Subspecies: T. p. hebridensis, T. p. clarkei, T. p. philomelos, T. p. nataliae  

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common resident (1,144,000 territories)

 - Birds seen at various sites including Rutland Water, Geddington and Heligan 

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

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Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

OTHER NAMES: Tame Swan

Latin Etymology: Cygnus ("swan") olor (species specific name)

A flock of assorted aged Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) at Wellingborough, Northants - May 2013

Local Name (Japan): Kobu haku-chō (コブハクチョウ) - "Lump White-bird"
Weight: 8.5-12kg

Length: 120-170cm

Wingspan: 200-240cm

UK AMBER LIST  / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

One of the most common and easily seen of all British waterbirds, it is also one of the heaviest flying birds on earth and thus fairly difficult to miss.  They are found on most bodies of water, including lakes, rivers and parks even in urban areas and so should be one of the first waterbirds many people come across in their lives. Unlike the other two swans naturally occurring in Britain, the Mute Swan is identifiable by its orange beak with a raised black knob, and its "s" shaped neck, in addition to being the only one which occurs throughout the year rather than just wintering.  They are generally fairly approachable, so therefore should be very easy to photograph, though they may be aggressive so treat them with the respect that wild animals deserve.

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

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common resident (6000 pairs) and common Winter visitor (79,000 birds)

 - Birds seen at sites including but not limited to Rutland Water, Regent's Park, Kensington Gardens, Pitsford Reservoir, Ditchford Gravel Pits, Eyebrook Reservoir and Geddington.
JAPAN - A rare feral species

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: One pair seen in central Tokyo.

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

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

OTHER NAMES: Sparrow, English Sparrow

Latin Etymology: Passer ("sparrow") domesticus ("of the house")

Adult male and female House Sparrows (subspecies P. d. domesticusi) at Geddington, Northants - January 2022

Featured Subspecies: Passer domesticus domesticus
Weight: 24-40g  /  Length: 14-18cm  /  Wingspan: 19-25cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

One of the most common birds in Britain, and indeed, the most widely distributed bird species on earth - though oddly enough, the hardest places to see them are now inner-city areas where they are suffering massive declines. Living in a village however, they remain one of the most common birds in my area, and usually found in decent sized flocks in most hedges and shrub-areas. Primarily a seed eating bird, in Europe they are fairly ubiquitous, though in Asia the Tree-Sparrow replaces them as the common City Sparrow.  In North America they are an invasive feral species that has been massively successful, often at the expense of native birds.

Further Information:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Passeridae
Genus: Passer
Subspecies: P. d. domesticus, P. d. balearoibericus, P. d. tingitanus, P. d. niloticus, P. d. persicus, P. d. biblicus, P. d. hyrcanus, P. d. bactrianus, P. d. parkini, P. d. indicus, P. d. hufufae, P. d. rufidorsalis  

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Abundant breeding species (5,300,000 pairs)

 - A common resident seen at locations including Geddington, Rutland Water, Pitsford Reservoir and Rainham Marshes

SPAIN - Spanish - Gorrión común ("Common Sparrow")

Breeding resident.  

 - SEVILLE 2011 TRIP: Seen at El Rocio and Seville

 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: Seen in Madrid        

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen in Madrid  

UNITED STATES 
Invasive species found over entire Lower 48 and Hawai'i
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Monterey           

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

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European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

OTHER NAMES: Rabbit, Coney, Common Rabbit, Bunny
Latin Etymology: Oryctolagus ("dug up hare") cuniculus ("rabbit")

Adult Eurasian Rabbit (subspecies O. c. cuniculus) at Wooler, Cumbria - July 2009

Featured Subspecies: Oryctolagus cuniculus cuniculus

Length: 38-58cm  /  Weight: 1000-2500g
UK STATUS NOT EVALUTATED / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

Rabbits are a very common and widespread species, and, along with grey squirrels, about the easiest wild mammals to see in the UK.  Also like the Grey Squirrel, they are not native to the UK, but instead originate in the Iberian penninsula, though introduced far earlier by the Romans.  They can often be seen in fields or along road verges in the countryside. They live in large communal warrens and act as grazers on land that would otherwise lack one due to the human tendency to block off larger animals.  Although a dangerous pest in many introduced countries, there are some species that benefit from it's presence in the UK including predators like Fox and Stoat, and the Stone Curlew which benefits from the closely grazed grassland for nesting,

Related Species:
Order: Lagomorpha 
Family: Leporidae 
Genus: Oryctolagus
SUBSPECIES: O. c. cuniculus, O. c. huxleyi, O. c. algirus

- Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident
 - Seen commonly at a large number of sites, including but not limited to Geddington, Rutland Water and Wooler 

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