Six British Woodland Birds & Where to Find Them

A woodland walk is the perfect way to get out and into nature. With towering trees, beautiful flowers and wildlife all around, a stroll through your local woods is a fantastic way to interact with the great outdoors. As always, remember to leave places better than you found them, do not take anything and respect the creatures that live there.

So without further ado, here are 6 British birds that you might spot on your woodland wanders:

1. Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

Notorious for its incredible blue plumage, the Blue Tit can be commonly found in woodlands as well as gardens. Find them perched in trees throughout woodland or checking out your garden feeders!

2. Jay (Garrulus glandarius)

Highly intelligent and loud, Jays

Highly intelligent and loud, Jays are part of the crow family. Pale pink in plumage, they have a pale head with black streaks. They have black and white wings with the iconic electric blue feathers. Favouring broadleaf woodland, Jays can also be found in conifer woodland, scrub and urban areas. Find them hopping about the woodland floor in search of acorns; in fact, Jays are credited with the rapid spread of oaks after the last Ice Age, often forgetting their ‘caches’ of acorns, allowing them to grow into Oak trees.

3. Green Woodpecker

Found throughout England and Wales, the Green Woodpecker has a call that sounds very much like laughter. Largest of the three breeding-woodpecker species in the UK, males have a red streak whereas the females do not. Visiting gardens and parks (provided that there are sufficient trees in the area) Green Woodpeckers can be found in open woodland. They require trees for nesting and open ground for catching ants.

4. Barn Owl

Their distinctive heart-shaped faces and beautiful white feathers make the Barn Owl an easy on to recognise. Best spotted at dusk, these birds do hunt in the daytime too. Living in open countryside and farmland, Barn Owls can often be spotted on roadside verges. Although fairly common and with numbers in recovery, Barn Owls are thought to be put under threat by agricultural changes and the development of barns and farm buildings.

5. Wren

Although they’re small in size, wrens make up for it with their powerful calls, often being heard before they’re able to be seen. Wrens can be found throughout woodlands, including deciduous and mixed woodlands, as well as on farmland, heathland and are a common garden visitor, too.

6. Kestrel

A common sight along woodland edges, the Kestrel has incredible vision, hovering above and darting down to catch its prey. Light brown in plumage, male Kestrels have a blue-grey head whereas the females are all-brown. Kestrels are the second most common bird of prey in the UK, behind the Buzzard, and can be found in a variety of different habitats. They favour hunting in open spaces with long grass as this is ideal field-vole habitat – their favourite food. Rarely venturing far into woodlands, they can be found nesting and hunting along the woodland edges.

So there you have it, just 6 of the bird species you could spot out and about in Britain’s woodland. We hope this inspires you to get out into nature and get some fresh air! If you spot any of these wonderful species, or any others, tag us on Instagram @projectwildlingcic or use the hashtag #projectwildlingcic and we’ll share our favourites!

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