European robin
Erithacus rubecula
- Size
- About 14cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Gardens, parks, hedges and woods
Britain's favourite garden bird, with its orange-red breast and bright black eye.
The robin that follows you
Six birds you might see from the kitchen window. Move your pointer and yours will hop, run or fly after you. Stand still and watch what it does. Choose a different bird at the bottom, and tap the notes to open them.
Macclesfield right now checking the sky…
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01 · GardenersThe gardener's shadow
Robins often follow gardeners about, waiting for worms and grubs to be turned up by the spade. In the wild they follow animals that disturb the soil.
02 · SongSinging all year
Robins are one of the few birds that sing right through winter, and both the males and the females sing to defend their patch.
03 · TerritorySmall but fierce
They look sweet, but robins are very territorial and will chase off, and even fight, other robins that come into their patch.
04 · NightNight singers
Robins living near street lights sometimes sing at night, which people often mistake for a nightingale.
05 · ColourAn orange breast
The breast is really orange. When robins got their name, English didn't yet have the word "orange" for a colour.
06 · FavouriteBritain's favourite bird
In a big public vote in 2015, the robin was chosen as Britain's favourite bird.
Meet them all
Who's who at the bird table
Blue tit
Cyanistes caeruleus
- Size
- About 12cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Gardens, parks and woods, often at feeders
A tiny acrobat in blue, yellow and white, always busy and always on the move.
Wren
Troglodytes troglodytes
- Size
- About 10cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Hedges, gardens, woods, almost anywhere with cover
A tiny brown bird with a cocked-up tail and a voice far bigger than it is.
Blackbird
Turdus merula
- Size
- About 25cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Gardens, parks, hedges and woods
Glossy black with a golden beak if he's a male, warm brown if she's a female, and a beautiful song.
Swallow
Hirundo rustica
- Size
- About 18cm, with long tail streamers
- Look for it
- April to September
- Where
- Farms, fields and open country near water
A fast, glossy-blue flyer with a red face and long forked tail, here for the summer.
Great spotted woodpecker
Dendrocopos major
- Size
- About 23cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Woods, parks and gardens with big trees or feeders
Black and white with a flash of red under the tail. You often hear it drumming before you see it.
Through the year
When to look for them
The green months are when you're most likely to see each one in Britain. The animal following you is shown in red.
Robin
Blue tit
Wren
Blackbird
Swallow
Woodpecker
Make room for them
Six easy ways to help
Put out the right food
Sunflower hearts, seed mixes and fat balls suit most garden birds. Blackbirds and robins prefer food on the ground or a table.
Keep feeders clean
Dirty feeders spread disease between birds. Wash them regularly and move them around the garden now and then.
Add a bird bath
Birds need water to drink and to keep their feathers in good condition, all year round. Keep it shallow and top it up with fresh water.
Put up a nest box
A box with a small round hole suits blue tits. An open-fronted box tucked into ivy or a hedge suits robins and wrens.
Plant a hedge or shrubs
Thick shrubs give birds somewhere to hide, roost and nest, and berries such as hawthorn and holly feed them in winter.
Leave some mess
Leaf litter and a rougher patch of lawn are full of worms and insects, which is what most garden birds feed their chicks.
Photo gallery
Real photos of the animals on this page. Tap one to see it bigger.
European robin
Blue tit
Wren
Blackbird
Swallow
Great spotted woodpecker
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons and are used under free licences. Open a photo to see who took it.
Now go and listen
Open a window early in the morning. Most of the birds on this page will tell you they're there before you see them.
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