Uncommon Birds in Cumbria
64 species matching this filter.
Cumbria's diverse landscapes—from the Lake District's mountain tarns to the Solway Firth's expansive estuaries and the Eden Valley's rolling farmland—support a rich variety of birdlife beyond the commonly encountered species. Among the county's 64 uncommon birds, you can find elegant Blackcaps and Garden Warblers in woodland glades, Common Sandpipers along rocky lakeshores, and winter flocks of Fieldfares sweeping across hedgerow-lined fields. Species such as Common Merganser, Greylag Goose, and Common Shelduck highlight the importance of Cumbria's wetlands and coastal habitats for both breeding and wintering birds.
Showing 1–23 of 64 species
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
Present year-round, with Svalbard birds wintering on the Solway marshes alongside a small feral population.
Year-round
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
An uncommon resident, breeding in Cumbrian woodlands in summer with some continental birds wintering at garden feeders.
Apr–Feb
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
A shy, year-round resident of hedgerows and woodland edges, often detected by its soft, melancholy call before it is seen.
Year-round
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
An uncommon year-round resident found on farmland, lakes, and coasts. Breeds on upland bogs and lake islands in the county.
Year-round
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
An uncommon resident along clean rivers and becks across the county. A flash of electric blue darting low over water is often the first sign.
Year-round
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
An uncommon year-round resident of fast-flowing rivers and upland lakes. Often seen fishing on the Eden and other Cumbrian rivers.
Year-round
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, favouring the Lake District fells and upland crags where its deep croaking call carries far.
Year-round
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
An uncommon year-round resident, breeding in birch and alder woodland around the Lake District and visiting garden feeders in winter.
Year-round
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Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurusLC
A handsome summer visitor breeding in Lake District oak woods and stone walls. Males flash their orange-red tails.
Apr–Aug
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
An uncommon summer breeder along Lake District rivers and stony lakeshores, bobbing characteristically on waterside rocks from April to September.
Apr–Sep
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
An uncommon resident favouring the Solway and Morecambe Bay estuaries, nesting in rabbit burrows nearby.
Year-round
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
An uncommon resident breeding on damp moorland and rushy pastures. Its drumming display flight is a feature of upland Cumbria in spring.
Year-round
Coot
Fulica atraLC
An uncommon year-round resident of lowland lakes and reservoirs. Less numerous than in southern England.
Year-round
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorusLC
An uncommon summer visitor arriving in April, its distinctive call heard across moorland and woodland edges.
Apr–Jun
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
A prized resident of fast-flowing Lake District becks and rivers, bobbing on rocks before plunging underwater to feed.
Year-round
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
An uncommon resident; breeds on upland moors in summer and gathers in flocks on estuarine mudflats through winter.
Year-round
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
An uncommon coastal resident, most easily seen around the Solway Firth and Walney Island throughout the year.
Year-round
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
An uncommon resident of villages and farmsteads, its monotonous cooing a familiar sound in lowland Cumbria.
Year-round
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
An uncommon resident of broadleaved woodlands and mature gardens. Its harsh, screeching call often betrays its presence among the oaks.
Year-round
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
An uncommon resident breeding in Cumbria's conifer and mixed woodlands, often visiting garden nyjer feeders in winter flocks.
Year-round
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
An uncommon resident of open farmland and upland pastures, declining nationally but still singing over Cumbrian fields.
Year-round
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
An uncommon resident found locally around farmyards and hedgerows in the Eden Valley and lowland Cumbria.
Year-round
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
An uncommon year-round resident, with numbers swelling in winter on estuaries and flooded fields. Breeds sparingly on upland tarns.
Year-round