Bright and beautiful: The UK’s most colourful birds

Crossbills

Catch a male crossbill in the right light and they appear almost flame-like with startingly red-orange plumage. The females are an equally beautiful olive hue.

The UK is home to three species of crossbill – the red crossbill, Loxia curvirostra, the parrot crossbill, Loxia pytyopsittacus, and the UK’s only endemic species the Scottish crossbill, Loxia scotica.

Red crossbills breed across much of the UK, but parrot crossbills and Scottish crossbills are only found in Scotland’s ancient Caledonian Forest. It’s difficult to tell these three species apart just by looking at them, but by listening closely scientists have found that Scottish crossbills have a distinct accent. 

Lesser redpoll

The lesser redpoll, Acanthis cabaret, is a tiny bird that’s named after the crimson patch on its head. Some individuals have a light dusting of red on their breast as well.

They’re found in the UK all year-round, though in some parts they’re now only seasonal visitors. They like to eat tree seeds but you might spot them popping into your garden to snack from feeders when wild food supplies are low.

Lesser redpolls look similar to the slightly larger common redpoll, Acanthis flammea, a small number of which spend winter in the UK. 

Goldfinch

Goldfinches, Carduelis carduelis, are a patchwork of colour. Tan across the back, a white belly and cheeks and a black cap make their scarlet faces and yellow wing bars sing.

In the nineteenth century, goldfinches were popular caged birds. In fact, in some parts of the UK they were once almost wiped out in the wild due to widespread trapping.

The goldfinch has been on a journey of recovery ever since. Save the Goldfinch was one of the RSPB’s earliest campaigns and in 1933 the Government passed an act to make the trapping and sale of wild birds illegal. 

Bullfinch

Bullfinches, Pyrrhula pyrrhula, are bright pops of colour and occasional garden visitors. Males have vibrant, pink-orange bellies and cheeks and are a little bigger than a robin. Females have a similar pattern, but their pink feathers have been traded in for grey.

These shy birds might visit your garden in spring to feed on fresh flowers, buds and shoots. You can also entice bullfinches during the winter by putting out seeds for them. 

Firecrest

Named after the flashy tufts of feathers on top of their heads, firecrests, Regulus ignicapillus, are one of the UK’s smallest birds. Even larger individuals only weigh 6.5 grammes – that’s about the same as a 10p coin.

Both males and females have a yellow crest and olive and buff feathers. You can tell the males apart as they have a dash of fiery orange down the middle of their crests. Firecrests look a lot like the equally small goldcrest, Regulus regulus. However, you can tell the two species apart by the firecrest’s bold, black eyestripe.

Goldcrests live all year round in much of the UK whereas firecrests mostly just visit parts of England and Wales during the winter months. 

Mandarin duck

One of the most jazzy birds in the UK is the mandarin duck, Aix galericulata. The males of this petite duck are covered in bold splashes of green, blue, purple and orange with a vibrantly red bill. Their fancy plumage includes russet feathers that stick up from their backs like sails and whisker-like ones that come down from their cheeks.

In stark comparison, the females are an elegant grey with just a nod to the male’s blue-green on their wings. These ducks nest in holes in trees that their little ducklings have to jump out of once they’re hatched. In China, where this species is native, mandarin duck pairs are treasured symbols of love, devotion and fidelity.

Kept as an exotic species in the UK, over time individuals have escaped captivity and formed wild populations across large parts of England. 

Golden oriole

Birds in the UK don’t get much brighter than the golden oriole, Oriolus oriolus. Apart from their dark wings, the males are almost entirely yellow and the females are a delicate green-yellow with lighter bellies.

Only a few are seen in the UK each year. These shy birds also tend to stick to the treetops, where they blend in with the leaves, making them tricky to spot.

Golden orioles overwinter in central and southern Africa, migrating to spend spring and summer in Europe. They’ve always been scarce in the UK, but in recent years they seem to have stopped breeding here. 

Siskin

Siskins, Carduelis spinus, are seen across the UK, though in most of England, they are mainly winter visitors. These little birds mostly feed on pine seeds in conifer forests, but they will also visit feeders and eat alongside other garden-frequenting species.

Males of these striking little birds are bright yellow all over, with black accents on the wings, a black crown and bib, and a touch of white on the belly. Female siskins are a little less vibrant and lack black feathers on their heads.

Siskins are sometimes confused with yellowhammers, Emberiza citronella, which also have a yellow head, but their back and wings are chestnut brown. Like the siskin they live in the UK year-round but have a slightly smaller range and prefer different habitats. 

Grey wagtail

Don’t be fooled, despite its name, the grey wagtail, Motacilla cinerea, is more colourful than you might think with a yellow belly that’s particularly bright in summer. You’ll find these year-round residents of the UK busy feeding on aquatic invertebrates around rivers and streams.

During the summer months, their close relative the yellow wagtail, Motacilla flava, visits parts of England. You can tell these two species apart by looking at the feathers on their backs – the grey wagtail’s are slate grey and the yellow wagtail’s are olive.  

Green woodpecker

Three woodpecker species live and breed in the UK – the largest and most brightly coloured of them is the green woodpecker, Picus viridis.

Mossy green across their backs with a lighter belly, they have a dark face and a head topped with crimson feathers. You can tell the males apart from the females because their black moustache is red in the centre. But it’s not just the adults that are eye-catching, their young are very distinctive too being heavily spotted all over.

You’re most likely to see these birds on the ground searching for ants to eat. Unlike the great spotted woodpecker, Dendrocopos major, and lesser spotted woodpecker, Dendrocopos minor, that also live in the UK, green woodpeckers rarely drum on trees, though they do still nest in tree holes. 

Ring-necked parakeets

You’ll probably hear these acid green birds before you see them.

Ring-neck parakeets, Psittacula krameria, are native to Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. They’re thought to have arrived in the UK as exotic pets that were either then released or escaped and have since been thriving in the wild.

They’re now a firm resident in several cities across the UK, but they’re controversial. Some consider them to be an invasive species, pushing native birds out of nesting sites and outcompeting them for food.

Find out more about the origin and spread of ring-necked parakeets. 

Eurasian jay

The Eurasian jay, Garrulus glandarius, is a mostly grey-brown bird, although in some lights it can look quite pink. But what really catches your eye, is the startling flash of electric blue on its wings.

These shy birds are members of the crow family. They’re mostly found in woodlands, where they feast on their favourite food – acorns. In fact, you might spot them burying these nuts in autumn to save them for the winter, a bit like squirrels. A single jay can bury more than 5,000 acorns in a season. Any that they don’t eat can end up germinating, helping to regenerate and spread oak woodland. 

Blue tit

The blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, is one of the brightest regular visitors to our gardens. These little birds are easily identifiable from their blue and green backs, bold white faces and yellow bellies. They’re not picky about habitats – they’re as at home in woodland as they are in town centres.

Blue tits are fans of spiders for dinner, but you’ll also see them tucking in at garden bird feeders. In winter, they team up with other species of tit to form flocks that search for food as a collective. 

Kingfisher

Common kingfishers, Alcedo atthis, live across much of England, Ireland and Wales, but these beautiful birds are infrequently seen.

Our bright blue and russet kingfishers dine on aquatic insects and fish, so the best place to look for them is by canals, slow-flowing rivers and wetlands. You might spot these dumpy birds perching on branches beside the water or just catch a flash of blue out the corner of your eye as they zip away.

There are seven subspecies of common kingfisher living around the world. They vary slightly by size and colour but the bluest of all live south of the Wallace Line – an imaginary line created by Alfred Russell Wallace to mark the difference between the animals of Asia and Australia.