British birds
The list of British birds comprises all those bird species which have occurred in a wild state in Great Britain. In general the avifauna of Britain is, of course, similar to that of Europe, although with fewer breeding species. There are about 550 species of birds on the British list.
Because of its mild winters, Great Britain has a considerable population of wintering species, particularly ducks, geese and swans. There are also a number of species, such as Oystercatcher, which are resident in this island, but migrants elsewhere.
Because of its position, Britain receives a number of vagrants from Asia and North America. Some American gulls, ducks and waders are regular enough to not be considered rare. These include Ring-billed Gull, Surf Scoter and Pectoral Sandpiper. 150 of the latter species were found in Britain in the record month of September 2003, with a further 40 in Ireland.
This page lists the British bird species in the non-passerine families, which are listed in accordance with the 2003 reordering of the British list. See also British birds: passerines
Some classifications also include the Falconidae.
Sometimes included in the Accipitriformes
List of British birds
Anseriformes
Galliformes
Gaviiformes
Podicipediformes
Procellariiformes
Pelecaniformes
Ciconiiformes
Accipitriformes
Falconiformes
Gruiformes
Charadriiformes
Pterocliformes
Columbiformes
Psittaciformes
Cuculiformes
Strigiformes
Caprimulgiformes
Apodiformes
Coraciiformes
Piciformes
Passeriformes
The links above lead to family accounts and individual species. Taxonomy is very fluid in the age of DNA analysis, so other arrangements may be found, as in Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy.References and links
See also
