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Making life better by water
Even if you can’t see them, our canals are busy with birds foraging for food, finding shelter and performing elaborate courtship displays.
From the loud woodpecker to the unmistakable bullfinch, canals make great homes for birds across rural and urban spaces.
Whether you’re a dedicated birdwatcher or not, here are 18 species to identify along our waterways. Pause on the towpath and listen to the melodious birdsong around you.
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
Appearance: Brown feathers with a creamy streak above its eye and a dark crown. They’re about 13cm long with a 17-21cm wingspan. Males and females are similar, while juveniles are smaller and fluffier.
Behaviour: They mainly eat insects and berries.
Where to see: The sedge warbler is a threatened species, with populations declining globally. These summer migrants are more common in the south and midlands as they stop off on their way to winter in Africa.
When to see: You’ll most likely spot sedge warblers in the summer months, from April to October.
Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Appearance: Reed warblers are a plain, warm brown with a pale underside. They don't have any streaks, unlike most warblers. Males and females are identical, while juveniles have yellowy chests.
Behaviour: Reed warblers lay two broods a year. They lay one clutch of eggs in late spring and another in the summer.
Where to see: This species is mostly found in the south and midlands of England. They're increasingly rare as you head further north. In Wales, they're only spotted along the coast.
When to see: Reed warblers are summer visitors to our shores, with most spotted between May and September around wetlands and farmlands. They spend their winters in Africa.
Cuculus canorus
Appearance: These medium-sized birds have blue-grey backs, heads and chests, with a striped underside. They have long tails and pointed wings, somewhat resembling a kestrel. Females are similar to males but might have red-brown plumage.
Behaviour: Cuckoos eat most insects, with a particular preference for hairy caterpillars. They’re known for being brood parasites. Females target other nests – especially those of meadow pipits, dunnocks and reed warblers – and swap one of the eggs there for one of her own. When the baby cuckoo hatches, they push the other young birds out of the nest to claim all the food for themselves.
Where to see: Found in a variety of habitats – from woodland, wetlands, and farmland to urban spaces – cuckoos are common across most of the UK in summer.
When to see: Adults arrive in April and leave as early as June, but you might spot the odd juvenile throughout the summer and into autumn.
Dendrocopos major
Appearance: The great spotted woodpecker is medium-sized bird and has a black and white head. Males have a bright red cap on top. They have powerful, short beaks, black wings and a white underside.
Behaviour: This bird feeds on insects and invertebrates, using their powerful beaks to break into dead wood and root out food. They also drill into trees to create cavities for breeding.
Where to see: You’re most likely to spot these birds in woodland edges along our canals. They might also be found in towns and cities.
When to see: The lesser spotted woodpecker is resident in most of England and Wales all year round – but mostly seen in late winter and early spring. Listen out for their drumming noise high in the trees.
Emberiza citrinella
Appearance: As the name suggests, the male yellowhammer is a bright yellow colour with brown streaks along its back. Females are more olivey-brown.
Behaviour: Yellowhammers are known for singing atop bushes. Their song is thought to sound like someone saying, ‘A little bit of bread and no cheese’, stretching out the ‘eee’.
Where to see: Yellowhammers are widespread and found in heathland, woodland, moorland and towns and gardens. During winter, when snow cover prevents them from easily finding prey in rural areas, they move into urban habitats.
When to see: Found across the UK all year round.
Emberiza schoeniclus
Appearance: Reed bunting are slim birds with brown streaks. Males have black feathers on their heads, a white collar and a ‘moustache’. Females have streaked heads with a pale throat and moustache. In winter, males look more like female reed buntings.
Behaviour: They gather with mixed flocks of buntings, finches and sparrows in farmland over the winter to feed on seeds.
Where to see: These birds are widespread across Britain, making their homes in wetlands, farmlands and towns and cities. They prefer wet and marshy areas, particularly roosting in reedbeds.
When to see: Reed bunting are resident in the UK all year round.
Locustella naevia
Appearance: Grasshopper warblers are non-descript birds with pale yellow-brown feathers and a pale underside. Males and females look alike.
Behaviour: Usually identifiable by its high-pitched sound that resembles the insect they’re named for. However, their specific location is often difficult to pinpoint as they can throw their song. As we age, we stop being able to hear the pitch at which the grasshopper warbler sings.
Where to see: They like heathland, wetland and grassland. During migration, grasshopper warblers creep through the vegetation like a mouse. Although found across the UK, they’re mostly present in the southeast.
When to see: Grasshopper warblers are under threat, but populations can be seen in the summer months from April to October. They spend their winters in north-west Africa.
Spinus spinus
Appearance: Males are bright yellow with a black cap, while females are a paler yellow with prominent dark streaks and no cap. Both sexes have striped wings.
Behaviour: Siskins like feeding on alder cones, which often grows at the waterside. Siskins live for an average of two years in the wild.
Where to see: Siskins are found across the UK. As residents, they're particularly populous in Wales and Scotland. These birds like mixed woodlands, and can be found feeding on alder at the canalside.
When to see: This relatively common bird is a year-round resident, with more numbers arriving in the winter from northern Europe. These visitors leave again in the spring.
Muscicapa striata
Appearance: These small birds have grey-brown plumage with paler undersides and a streaked chest. Males and females look quite similar. Juveniles have spotty backs.
Behaviour: As the name indicates, these birds are pros at catching flies and other insects – particularly, butterflies and wasps. They make a repetitive, high-pitched ‘tzee, tzee’ sound.
Where to see: Spotted flycatchers build open, cupped nests on ledges, often found on buildings and walls and in trees or creepers. They're also seen along our canals, which make a good hunting ground for catching flying insects from overhanging tree branches.
When to see: Mostly spotted in the UK between May and October, spotted flycatchers are predominantly summer visitors. They migrate south for the winter.
Passer domesticus Appearance: A small species, male house sparrows are chestnut brown with black markings and a speckled black bib on their pale front. They have a black beak and grey head. Females look very different with lighter brown backs and heads and no bibs on their pale chests. They have yellow beaks.
Behaviour: House sparrows have a loud ‘cheep-cheep’ call. These birds are much rarer than they used to be, with populations declining since the 1970s.
Where to see: These sociable birds live in small groups. They aren’t strong fliers so are often spotted near vegetation or shelter to easily escape from predators. House sparrows often nest in wall cavities or hedges.
When to see: House sparrows are common birds in the UK and are widespread residents all year round.
Passer montanus
Appearance: Smaller than house sparrows, tree sparrows are quite striking. Males and females look similar. They have a chestnut head with a white collar, a brown back, and a black bib on a white chest.
Behaviour: Tree sparrows are timid birds, but like house sparrows, choose to nest in small colonies. They nest in any suitable tree or wall cavity, and sometimes in dense bushes.
Where to see: You’re unlikely to spot tree sparrows in urban locations, although they might visit a bird feeder in the countryside. They’re usually found around farmland and form larger flocks in the winter. Populations have declined since the 1970s. While resident in the UK, they’re absent from much of southern England and Wales.
When to see: Tree sparrows are found all year round.
Phylloscopus sibilatrix
Appearance: Wood warblers have a bright yellow face, throat and upper chest with a white belly. They have yellow-green backs and darker wings. They’re one of the largest warblers. Males are slightly more vivid than females, but the sexes generally look similar.
Behaviour: Their song is said to sound like a spinning coin, repeating notes and speeding up to a sudden stop.
Where to see: Wood warblers like oak woods and deciduous woodlands, preferring mature trees. They’re mostly found in Wales and northern England, with a few patchy populations in the south and in Scotland.
When to see: These summer visitors are most common in England and Wales from April to August. In the autumn, they migrate to Africa for the winter.
Troglodytes troglodytes
Appearance: Wrens are tiny brown birds with a round shape, long legs and short wings. Their tail is short and often sticks up vertically.
Behaviour: The wren is a bird of small crevices, a trait that gives its name 'Troglodytes troglodytes', meaning 'cave dweller'.
Where to see: Thriving in most habitats, the wren can be found across England and Wales, and are often hidden away looking for insects in the undergrowth.
When to see: Wrens are resident in the UK all year round.
Poecile palustris
Appearance: Similar in appearance to the willow tit, marsh tits have shiny black caps with a white collar, small black bib and light brown body. Males and females look alike, while juveniles are slightly duller in colour.
Behaviour: The marsh tit makes a ‘pitchoo’ sound that resembles a sneeze. They're closely related to the rare willow tit, a timid bird with a nasal ‘zee-zee-zee’ call.
Where to see: Resident in England and Wales, marsh tits are absent from much of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Despite its name, the marsh tit prefers to spend its time in woodland habitats.
When to see: Marsh tits are present in most of England and Wales all year round.
Prunella modularis
Appearance: Males and females look similar with a speckled grey head, grey collar and a streaky brown back. Juveniles are slightly less grey.
Behaviour: Quiet, shy and often solitary, the dunnock moves in a nervous shuffle, often along flower beds or hedges. When competing for a female’s attention, they can become quite animated.
Where to see: Dunnocks are common garden birds throughout much of the UK. You’re likely to spot them along our canals, in towns, cities and parks.
When to see: Resident all year round, dunnocks are most active in the breeding season.
Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Appearance: Males are unmistakable with bright pink-orange chests, a black cap, cheeks and tail. Females are similar with a brown tinge to their chests.
Behaviour: Bullfinches are shy and secretive birds, with a soft, whistling ‘peu’ song that sounds melancholic.
Where to see: Found across the UK, bullfinches are found wherever there’s dense vegetation, like hedgerows, scrubland and parks or gardens.
When to see: Bullfinches are resident in England and Wales all year round.
Sturnus vulgaris
Appearance: These glossy birds have black plumage with iridescent markings that give them a blue-green look. Females are more pinkish and less glossy. In winter, they develop white spots on their backs. Juveniles are grey-brown.
Behaviour: Starlings are noisy and sociable birds, making many different chirps, tweets, and squawks.
Where to see: Starlings are found across the UK in gardens, parks and farmland. They’re widespread and common.
When to see: We have starlings resident in England and Wales all year round. A small population migrate here from northern Europe, arriving in September and leaving in late winter.
Turdus philomelos
Appearance: With a spotted brown front and brown back, these birds are slightly smaller than a blackbird. Males and females look similar.
Behaviour: Song thrushes are one of the only birds to eat snails, which it does by cracking their shells against a stone. They also have a sweet song, for which it gets its name.
Where to see: Once common and widespread, song thrushes are declining in the UK. They’re still resident in most of England and Wales, found in woodland, farmland and along our canals.
When to see: While other birds in northern Europe tend to be migratory, most of our birds are resident here all year round.
Last Edited: 08 November 2024
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