|
|
 |
Who's
coming to dinner?
If
you don't know a sparrow from a stork, find out who's visiting your
garden with this top ten of regular garden visitors from the RSPB.
Each
small image links to a popup page with a larger image and a sample
of birdsong. .
1.
House sparrow
A small,
thick beaked bird. Males are red-brown above, pale grey beneath,
with a grey cap and black bib. The female and young are paler and
sandy brown. buffy grey underneath and with a pale stripe behind
the eye.
2.
Starling
Smaller
than blackbirds, starlings are 21cm long. In the summer, starlings
are black with an iridescent purple and green sheen and a yellow
bill. In the winter, their white speckles become more prominent.
The young are mousey brown with a pale chest, and lack the spotted
breast of the adults.
3.
Blue tit
Little
bundles of nervous energy, their blue and yellow colouring makes
blue tits easily recognisable from other birds of a similar size.
The vivid blue cap of the adult bird readily distinguishes it from
the larger black-crowned great tit while young birds have a greenish-brown
cap. Blue tits are about 11 cm long, and bright yellow underneath.
Their wings are as pale blue as their tail. A black eye-stripe is
matched by a black bib.
4.
Blackbird
The
adult male has black plumage and a bright yellow bill and eye-ring.
Young males have dark bills and eye-ring and their plumage still
has traces of brown. The female is brown, with light brown streaks
and spots on its breast. Juveniles are similar to females, but a
rich brown and spotty all over.
5.
Chaffinch
The
chaffinch is the UK's second commonest breeding bird, and is the
most colourful of any of our finches. Its patterned plumage helps
it to blend in when feeding on the ground and it becomes most obvious
when it flies, revealing a flash of white on the wings and white
outer tail feathers. Although the male's plumage consists of pinks,
chestnut, white and blue, these colours are subtle.
|
Just like people, birds need water all year round for drinking
and bathing. 
