Items18The creator’s order
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European robinThe orange-red face and breast reach almost to the bill on an adult. A young robin is mottled brown before it gains the orange. If a bird is tucked out of view, listen for a thin, wandering song with little pauses. Robins can sing through the colder months.0 - 2
Common blackbirdA male’s black plumage, orange-yellow bill, and matching eye ring make a useful combination. Females are brown and can show faint breast markings. If you hear a mellow, fluting phrase from a high perch, check for a blackbird before looking for the more insistent, repeated phrases of a song thrush.0 - 3
Eurasian blue titLook for a blue cap set in a mostly white face, with a dark line running through the eye. The chest is yellow, as on a great tit, but it lacks the great tit’s broad black belly stripe. Blue tits often work the outer twigs, picking at them from below as well as above.0 - 4
Great titStart with the black head and large white cheeks, then look for a black stripe down the yellow underside. A familiar song repeats two clear notes, often rendered as “teacher, teacher,” though the species has other songs. The head pattern is usually quicker than waiting to hear it.0 - 5
House sparrowCheck a hedge or roof edge for the source of a group’s short, repeated chirps. Males have a gray cap, chestnut coloring behind the eye, and a black bib. Females lack the bib and have a pale eyebrow, a useful clue when comparing one with a dunnock on the ground.0 - 6
Common starlingAn adult may look black until sunlight shows its green and purple gloss. Pale dots stand out in fresh winter plumage, while a juvenile is far plainer and brown. Watch how the bird stands and walks on a lawn before relying on a song that can switch from whistles to rattles and imitations.0 - 7
European goldfinchA flash of bright yellow across otherwise dark wings is enough to make a second look worthwhile. Adults also have a red face set between black and white patches. A young goldfinch lacks that red face at first, but it can still show the yellow wing patch.0 - 8
Eurasian wrenLook low for a tiny, warm brown bird with a fine bill and a tail often angled sharply upward. A wren can disappear into an ivy-covered fence or a pile of branches in seconds. Its surprisingly loud, fast song, punctuated by a trill, may reveal where to look.0 - 9
Eurasian chaffinchThe male’s blue-gray cap and pinkish chest are easy to pick out in spring. Two white wing bars help with a quieter-looking female as well as a bright male. Listen for a short run of descending notes that ends with a flourish.0 - 10
DunnockThis hedge-edge bird has a slim bill and gray around the face and chest, with a streaked brown back. It often moves close to cover on the ground. Look at the bill and face if you’re deciding between a dunnock and a female house sparrow, whose bill is deeper and whose eyebrow is usually clearer.0