Starling or Blackbird?
StarlingBlackbird
Where did you hear it?
Start with the place. A garden, a river or a moor rules out most species before you press play.
Garden birds10 species · Feeders, hedges, lawns and rooftops
Farmland birds2 species · Fields, hedgerows, stubble and meadows
Freshwater birds2 species · Rivers, lakes, ponds and canals
Coastal birds1 species · Cliffs, beaches, estuaries and islands
Upland birds1 species · Moors, crags and mountain tops
Birds of prey and owls4 species · Hawks, falcons, kites, eagles and owls
Most looked-up birds
The birds people in Britain and Ireland search for most often.
Easily mixed up
Play the two voices one after the other: the difference is easier to hear than to describe.
Singing now · November
Species you can expect to hear this month.
Photo gallery
Every species comes with several photos, from different angles and often from different times of year.
Buzzard
Jackdaw
Peregrine
Skylark
Goldfinch
KestrelBy family
Handy when you know it was some sort of tit or finch, but not which one.
Birds A–Z
How to learn birds by ear
Begin with the birds you already hear every day. In most British and Irish gardens that means the Robin, the Wren and the Blackbird. Once those three are fixed in your head, a good share of unknown voices can be ruled out straight away.
After that, compare rather than memorise. Is the new song thinner than a robin’s, does it repeat one squeaky phrase like a Great Tit, or does it pour down from high overhead like a Skylark? Each species page sets out in plain words what to listen for.
PlaceGarden, woodland, river, coast or moor? The setting cuts the list down fast.
SoundA full song, a single call, a trill, a croak or a drum roll? Choose what you heard.
ComparePlay the likely bird and its look-alikes back to back.
Questions people ask
Which birds still sing in winter?
The Robin above all: males and females both sing through the winter, each defending a separate patch, and the winter song sounds thinner and sadder. Blackbirds also sing quietly to themselves in the colder months; only September and October are truly silent for them.
What is the bird hovering over motorway verges?
A small falcon hanging still in the air beside a busy road is almost certainly a Kestrel. Grassy verges hold plenty of voles, and the bird scans them from 10 to 20 metres up.
Do I need to see a bird to identify it?
Often not. Many birds, from the Kingfisher with its sharp whistle in flight to owls at night, are found by sound first. A clear memory of the call and a note of where you were will usually settle it.