As the colder weather moves in and many animals vanish from our gardens to hibernate, there’s plenty of winter garden birdsthat come out to play.
From the common blue tit to more unique looking birds like the starling, there are so many fantastic birds that flock to the garden in the winter. If you're a bird enthusiast, here’s six you can look out for…
Winter garden birds UK
Blue Tit
These cute and colourful birds are easy to spot and one of the UK’s most popular garden visitors. They feed on insects and spiders and can be found nesting in tree holes. They’re also partial to a cosy bird box too.
Goldfinch
The ruby face and yellow stripes on a Goldfinch’s wings makes them particularly striking and easy to spot. You’ll no doubt see them pecking at your bird feeder during the winter and they’re fans of seeds and niger seeds.
House Sparrow
This noisey, common garden bird has sadly declined by 65 per cent in the past 25 years. While female house sparrows have just brown feathers, the males have a grey chest, black face and brown feathers on their wings. Their call is also very chirpy, so you’ll instantly know if you’ve got a few in your garden!
Starlings
From afar, Starlings look like they have jet black feathers with white dots all over their face and coats, but if you’re lucky enough to see one up close you'll notice their coat actually has green and purple running through it. Even though they’re residents to the UK, their numbers usually double as migrant starlings fly across from the Baltic States and Russia. If you manage to spot one in your garden, we recommend getting your camera out, as they really are a great bird for snapping a picture of.
Long-tailed tit
This chubby little bird is another member of the tit family and has a black and white long tail, with a pale pink chest. Originally, long-tailed tits were irregular garden visitors due to their shy nature and would just stick to hedges and woodland areas. Now, they’ve increased in numbers and will often visit garden bird feeders in large groups.
Wood pigeon
Wood pigeons are much larger than other garden birds, with a purpley grey tummy, grey wings, which also has some white feathers, as well as on their necks. If these feathered friends are regular visitors to your garden then make sure you put out plenty of seed in your feeders, as wood pigeons are greedy and will guzzle the lot in no time!