List of birds of Great Britain
Species listed on this page as "rare" are those for which a full description is required for acceptance of the record by the British Birds Rarities Committee.
Order: Otidiformes Family: Otididae Large, sturdy birds of open plains with long legs and necks and strong feet.
Order: Pterocliformes Family: Pteroclidae Sturdy, medium-sized birds with a small head and long, pointed wings.
Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae These birds mainly occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, marshes or rivers.
Order: Podicipediformes Family: Podicipedidae Grebes are small to medium-large diving birds with lobed toes and pointed bills.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Haematopodidae The oystercatchers are large, obvious and noisy wading birds with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae Small to medium-sized wading birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings.
Different lengths of legs and bills enable multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Laridae Medium to large seabirds with grey, white and black plumage, webbed feet and strong bills.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Stercorariidae Medium to large seabirds with mainly grey or brown plumage, sharp claws and a hooked tip to the bill.
Order: Phaethontiformes Family: Phaethontidae Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers.
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Oceanitidae The southern storm petrels are the smallest seabirds, feeding on plankton and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering.
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Diomedeidae The albatrosses are among the largest flying birds, with long, narrow wings for gliding.
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Hydrobatidae The northern storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds, feeding on plankton and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering.
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Procellariidae These are highly pelagic birds with long, narrow wings and tube-shaped nostrils.
Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Ciconiidae Storks are large, heavy, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long stout bills and wide wingspans.
Order: Suliformes Family: Phalacrocoracidae Cormorants are medium to large aquatic birds with mainly dark plumage and areas of coloured skin on the face.
Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Ardeidae Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs.
Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae Typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey.
Order: Coraciiformes Family: Alcedinidae Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails.
Order: Coraciiformes Family: Meropidae A group of near-passerine birds characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies and usually elongated central tail-feathers.
Order: Piciformes Family: Picidae Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects.
Order: Psittaciformes Family: Psittaculidae Parrots are small to large birds with a characteristic curved beak shape.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Vireonidae The vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerine birds restricted to the New World.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae The crows and their relatives are fairly large birds with strong bills and are usually intelligent and adaptable.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Bombycillidae The waxwings are a group of passerine birds characterised by soft, silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Remizidae Small birds with finely pointed bills that build purse-like nests hanging from a branch.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Alaudidae Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Turdidae The thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Cinclidae Dark, dumpy, aquatic birds which are able to forage for food on the beds of rivers.
