Anything For Animals

posted by admin on Jun 15

There are many many birds that look a little bit like each other - and therefore not easy to tell apart.

Unless you are a birdwatching expert and can spot the little signs, you won’t know what they are before they have flown off and you’ll never be sure.

But there are 5 birds that you can definitely tell apart from all others in the quickest of flashes - there is no mistaking them.  Honest!

So, here is a description of each one and what makes them so easy to identify.

The Kestrel - (Falco tinnunculus) : Small raptor - seen hovering at the side of the road.

This bird is the only one in the UK that can hover in the exact same space for what seems like ages!  Some birds like buzzards and crows can ‘float’ in the sky on a breeze, but the kestrel is the only one that stays on the spot.

Now, you will normally see these birds at the side of the road as you drive by, but you can see them in fields and other rural areas if you know what you are looking for. 

The Swallow - (Hirundo rustica) : Small dark bird with long double tail - seen high in the sky in summer. 

This bird is one of several high soaring birds that catch insects in flight - the others being swifts and house martins.  But the swallow is the only one with really long, very noticeable ribbon feathers coming off the ends of it’s very forked tail. 

No need to worry about whether it’s got curved wings or a white rump - just look for the trailing feathers in the summer sky - and it’s a swallow! 2 syllables: 2 tails! Easy. 

The Kingfisher - (Alcedo atthis) : Very small bright blue bird - Very Blue - seen near rivers and streams.

This is virtually the only ‘flash of blue’ that you will see in the UK - especially if you are near a river, canal or flowing stream.  Other birds can be blue - but if it is an amazing flash of the brightest blue you have ever seen in nature - then it will be a kingfisher I’m sure!

If you are very lucky, you might see it sitting on a branch staring into the water - and very, very lucky to see it plunge headfirst into the water before emerging seconds later with a tiny fish in it’s over-sized bill.

Red Kite - (Milvus mivus) : Huge soaring raptor in cities and countryside - obvious forked tail.

This majestic large raptor has made a fantastic come back in the UK over the past decades, and can be seen in countryside and towns - I recently saw one scavenging in the car park of a huge industrial park in Reading - I was less than 50 metres away of it standing on the ground!

These huge birds can be told apart from other large soaring raptors (such as buzzards) very easily as they have a clearly forked tail.  They also glide quite low when searching for food and are common along roads and open fields.

Green Woodpecker - (Picus viridis) : Noisy ground feeding bright green bird - flies in an undulating pattern.

Often seen flying away after you approached them, they are a green bullet with flashes of red.  When flying off, they go up and down like they are on the top of a wave. 

Usually heard making a loud repetitive shrill noise as they depart into nearby trees - you can’t mistake them.  There are several black and white woodpeckers in the UK - but only one green one!

See if you can spot all 5 before the end of the month!