Winter visitors to the UK: birds you'll only spot this season

Think of migration and you might picture birds heading south for the winter. But did you know the UK also attracts several species during our colder months?

Some years can be better than others, but it's thought that when trees and hedgerows have poor fruiting years in Scandinavia and other parts of continental Europe, migrant winter birds are more likely to arrive here in numbers. They come in search of a meal and more forgiving weather conditions, and if the wind direction is favourable they can arrive in their thousands.

Which of these winter visitors could you encounter before they head back to their summer homes?     

How to identify

Look for a grey head and tail, with brown across the wings and back. Fieldfares have orange colouration around the throat and chest. The flanks are pale and spotted in the same way as the chest. Their underwing is white if you see it during flight.

Size

Fieldfares are large members of the thrush family and are slightly bigger than blackbirds. Wingspan up to 42cm across.

Favourite foods

Mainly hedgerow fruits such as hawthorn berries, but also invertebrates when the weather allows and sometimes wind fallen apples in gardens and orchards.

Best place to spot

Look out for small flocks of fieldfares feeding and travelling together, usually across farmland and along hedgerows. Can often be seen with redwings.

Call

A distinctive, loud chuckle. 

Fieldfare call

Audio: Dominic Garcia-Hall / xeno-canto.org

How to identify

As the name suggests, this bird has distinctive red patches on the underside of each wing. Look for a brown head with a pale stripe above the eye. and brown back and wings with a pale mottled front.

Size

Redwings are also part of the thrush family but are smaller than fieldfares. Wingspan up to 35cm across.

Favourite foods

Mostly hedgerow fruits such as hawthorn berries.

Best place to spot

Often seen travelling with groups of fieldfares, usually along hedgerows and across open fields. 

Call

A much more gentle-sounding call than that of the fieldfare.

Redwing call

Audio: David Darrell-Lambert / xeno-canto.ortg

How to identify

The waxwing is distinctive with its silky, grey-pink plumage and fabulous crest. Look for a black bib under the beak and a black eye mask. It gets its name from the waxy red tips coating some of the wing feathers. The end of its squarish tail is bright yellow, with some yellow highlights also on the wings.

Size

About the same size as a starling. Wingspan up to 35cm.

Favourite foods

Fond of rowan, hawthorn and cotoneaster berries.

Best place to spot

Most likely to be seen in eastern parts of the UK, including in gardens and orchards. Sometimes also encountered in supermarket car parks or feeding from fruiting street trees.

Call

A thin, reedy twitter.

Waxwing call

Audio: Kieran Nixon / xeno-canto.org

How to identify

Male and female bramblings have different plumage, although by the time they arrive in the UK in autumn and winter the male's bright breeding colours have usually faded. 

The male has a grey-blue head, warm orange breast, white belly and rump, and dark wings with orange bars. The female is similar but with duller orange breast and buff brown head.

Size

Similar in size to chaffinches, which often mix together with them in flocks. Wingspan up to 26cm across.

Favourite foods

Beech mast (the seeds produced by beech trees). 

Best place to spot

Look for flocks of bramblings in woodland, especially those with beech trees. Will sometimes visit gardens and might be spotted on roads beneath trees where they can feed on seeds crushed by passing traffic. 

Call

A short, nasal call.

Brambling call

Audio: Andrew Harrop / xeno-canto.org