Birds in Essex
Explore 212 species found in this region.
Essex is a remarkably rewarding county for birdwatching, with 208 recorded species found across its diverse mosaic of coastal marshes, estuaries, ancient woodlands and urban parklands. The Thames Estuary and the Blackwater and Colne estuaries provide internationally important habitat for wintering wildfowl and waders, including Brent Goose, Eurasian Wigeon and Northern Pintail. From scarce visitors like the Great Grey Shrike and Great Skua to established populations of Mandarin Duck and Common Shelduck, the county offers exceptional birding opportunities throughout the year.
Visiting in April? Look out for Arctic Tern and Black Swan arriving this month, and Arctic Loon and Brambling depart for the season.
Showing 47–69 of 212 species
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorusLC
An uncommon summer breeder whose distinctive call echoes across Essex woodlands and reedbeds from April. Numbers have declined significantly.
Apr–Aug
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Present year-round on Essex estuaries and marshes, with its evocative call a hallmark of the coast. Breeding numbers have declined sharply.
Year-round
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
An uncommon autumn passage migrant from July to October, favouring coastal scrapes and muddy pool edges.
Jul–Oct
Dartford Warbler
Curruca undataNT
A rare passage visitor in late autumn. Essex lies outside its core range on southern heathlands, making sightings noteworthy events.
Nov–Dec
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
A common wader found year-round on Essex estuaries and mudflats, forming large winter flocks along the coast.
Year-round
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
A common year-round resident of hedgerows, gardens, and woodland understorey. Often shuffles quietly along the ground, easily overlooked.
Year-round
Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiacaLC
An uncommon but increasing resident, found year-round on parkland lakes, gravel pits, and river margins.
Year-round
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
A rare non-breeding visitor to the Essex coast, occasionally spotted offshore or in estuaries during autumn and winter months.
Oct–Feb
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Eurasian Bittern
Botaurus stellarisLC
A rare and secretive non-breeding visitor to reedbeds, most likely at sites like Abberton or the Lea Valley during harsh winter spells.
Oct–Feb
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
A common resident found in gardens, farms, and villages across Essex year-round. Its monotonous call is a familiar sound.
Year-round
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
A common resident of broadleaved woodland and mature gardens. Often seen burying acorns in autumn across Essex parks.
Year-round
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
An uncommon but increasing resident in mature woodland and parkland. Has spread eastward into Essex in recent decades after a historical absence.
Year-round
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
A common resident along the Essex coast, feeding on mudflats and saltmarshes with its loud piping call a familiar estuary sound.
Year-round
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
An uncommon winter visitor, typically seen in alder and birch trees along waterways. Present from autumn to early spring, sometimes visiting garden feeders.
Sep–Apr
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
A common resident of arable fields and coastal grassland, its song flight a familiar sound over open Essex countryside.
Year-round
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodiaLC
A rare but increasingly regular resident, favouring the coastal marshes and estuaries. Essex is a key area for this species in England.
Year-round
Eurasian Stone-curlew
Burhinus oedicnemusLC
A rare passage migrant through Essex in late summer, occasionally noted on dry grasslands or coastal fields in August and September.
Aug–Sep
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
A rare and declining breeder in Essex, found locally around farmyards and hedgerows, far scarcer than its House Sparrow relative.
Mar–Nov
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Common across Essex estuaries and grazing marshes year-round, with large winter flocks gathering on the Blackwater and Thames estuaries.
Year-round
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A rare winter visitor to Essex woodlands and damp fields, most likely encountered during cold spells from November to March.
Nov–Mar
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
A common resident found in virtually every hedgerow, garden, and woodland. Delivers a remarkably loud song for its tiny size throughout the year.
Year-round
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
A common and colourful year-round resident, often seen in lively flocks feeding on teasel and thistle heads across Essex parks, gardens and wasteland.
Year-round
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridisLC
A common resident of parkland, orchards, and woodland edges. Its loud, laughing call is a familiar sound across Essex.
Year-round