Encyclopaedia of Birdcare

Garden Birds

Birds which could be regarded as typical of British gardens can be listed as follows:

• certain doves and pigeons, chiefly Woodpigeons and Collared Doves

• Swallows and House Martins

• Wrens

• Dunnocks

• thrushes, including Blackbirds

• Robins

• certain warblers, notably Blackcaps and Goldcrests

• tits

• crows, including magpies

• Starlings

• sparrows, mainly House Sparrows

• certain finches, particularly Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Siskins

In some favoured gardens, the following additional types of birds may occur:

• Sparrowhawks (trees)

• certain owls, notably Tawny and Little Owls (trees)

• Swifts (holes under eaves)

• woodpeckers (old trees)

• Pied Wagtails (open spaces)

• flycatchers, mainly Spotted Flycatchers (trees and climbing plants)

• Nuthatches (trees)

• Treecreepers (trees)

• Reed Buntings (open spaces)

Finally there is one group none of whose members could be counted as true garden birds, but certain of them visit gardens regularly where food is provided, namely:

• gulls, mainly Black-headed and Herring Gulls

On exceptional occasions, of course, almost any species could turn up in a garden, especially if it is on the coast, including rarities and other unusual birds. See attracting birds and attracting particular birds.

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Copyright © 1998 by Jacobi Jayne & Company.