Birds to See in Hertfordshire in February
103 species matching this filter.
Hertfordshire's diverse mix of farmland, ancient woodland, reservoirs, and river valleys supports a rich variety of birdlife even in the depths of winter. With 103 species recorded in February, the county offers rewarding birding opportunities, from ghostly Barn Owls hunting over open fields to flocks of Fieldfares stripping hedgerow berries and Common Mergansers gathering on reservoirs such as Tring and Hilfield Park. As the month progresses, early signs of spring emerge with Great Tits beginning to sing and Blackcaps occasionally appearing at garden feeders.
New in February2
Leaving after last month4
Resident
(86)
Barn Owl
Tyto albaLC
A rare but cherished resident, hunting over farmland and rough grassland at dusk. Nest box schemes have helped support the small Hertfordshire population.
Sep–Jul
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
An abundant year-round resident of gardens, hedgerows, and woodland, with numbers boosted by continental birds in winter.
Year-round
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
A common warbler found in woods and gardens year-round, boosted in winter by Continental migrants. Males sing richly from dense cover in spring and summer.
Year-round
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
One of the county's most familiar garden birds, readily using nest boxes. Present year-round in gardens, hedgerows, and woodland.
Year-round
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
A shy resident of hedgerows, orchards and woodland edges. Often heard before seen, with a soft, melancholic call.
Year-round
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Now a common resident after a dramatic recovery, frequently seen soaring over farmland and woodland edges throughout the county.
Year-round
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
Abundant on lakes, rivers and parkland throughout Hertfordshire all year. Large flocks gather on the Lea Valley reservoirs and gravel pits.
Year-round
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
Abundant year-round across Hertfordshire's farmland, towns, and parks. Often seen in small groups foraging on playing fields and arable land.
Year-round
Cetti's Warbler
Cettia cettiLC
An uncommon but increasing resident of dense waterside scrub, more often heard than seen with its explosive song.
Year-round
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
A common and widespread resident of woodland, hedgerows, and gardens. Its cheerful song is one of the first heard in late winter.
Year-round
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Common in woodland, scrub, and parks, with increasing numbers now overwintering. Its repetitive descending song is one of the earliest heard in spring.
Year-round
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
An uncommon resident favouring coniferous and mixed woodland. Visits garden feeders in winter but is less widespread than Blue or Great Tit.
Year-round
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Common across the county, frequenting playing fields, reservoirs and farmland. Numbers peak in winter with an influx of northern birds.
Jul–May
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
An uncommon but year-round resident along the Lea, Colne, and other clean waterways, nesting in riverbanks.
Year-round
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Widespread and common across farmland, woodland edges and hedgerows year-round. Populations are largely sustained by regular releases for shooting.
Year-round
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
An uncommon but increasing resident, recolonising the county after a long absence; listen for its deep cronking call.
Year-round
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
A rare visitor to Hertfordshire's larger waterbodies, mainly seen in winter and early spring. Occasionally breeds at reservoir margins.
Nov–Jun
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
An uncommon resident of wet meadows and marshes, more easily found in winter. Its drumming display is rarely heard in the county.
Aug–Jun
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
A common but declining resident of gardens, parks, and farmland. Winter numbers swell with continental arrivals forming impressive murmurations.
Year-round
Coot
Fulica atraLC
A common and conspicuous resident on lakes, reservoirs and gravel pits throughout the county. Large winter flocks gather at key waterbodies.
Year-round
Corn Bunting
Emberiza calandraLC
A rare and declining resident of open arable farmland. One of the county's most threatened breeding birds.
Year-round
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
A common but unassuming resident of hedgerows and garden shrubbery. Its shuffling gait and thin song are familiar across the county.
Year-round
Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiacaLC
An established year-round resident, often seen around gravel pits and reservoirs. This naturalised African species has spread steadily across Hertfordshire in recent decades.
Year-round
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
A familiar garden and suburban resident throughout the county. Its persistent cooing call is a year-round feature of Hertfordshire towns and villages.
Year-round
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
A colourful resident of woodlands and parks, often detected by its harsh screeching call. Frequently seen burying acorns in autumn across the county.
Year-round
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
An uncommon resident of mature deciduous woodland and parkland, often heard giving its loud ringing call.
Year-round
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
An uncommon resident of open farmland and grassland, declining due to agricultural intensification. Its soaring song flight can still be heard over arable fields.
Year-round
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
A rare and localised resident, clinging on at a few farmland sites with hedgerows and old buildings in the county.
Dec–Jun
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, most conspicuous in winter when flocks graze waterside meadows. Listen for the male's whistling call.
Year-round
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
A tiny but remarkably loud resident found in virtually every hedgerow, garden, and woodland. One of the county's most widespread breeding birds.
Year-round
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
A colourful and common resident, increasingly visiting garden feeders. Flocks gather on seed-rich wasteland and field margins year-round.
Year-round
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridisLC
A common resident of parkland, woodland edges, and large gardens. Its loud laughing call, or 'yaffle', is a familiar sound across the county year-round.
Year-round
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Common year-round, frequenting reservoirs, playing fields and landfill sites. Numbers peak in winter when joined by birds from further north.
Year-round
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
One of the county's most beloved residents, singing year-round in gardens, parks, and woodland. Boldly territorial and often confiding around people.
Year-round
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
A common year-round resident found on reservoirs, gravel pits and lakes. Numbers bolstered in winter by Continental arrivals.
Year-round
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Britain's smallest bird, resident in coniferous and mixed woodland across the county. Its thin, high-pitched call is easily overlooked.
Year-round
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
An uncommon winter visitor to larger reservoirs and gravel pits, arriving from October and departing by April. Males show a bold white face patch.
Oct–May
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
An uncommon but regular visitor to reservoirs and landfill sites, present most months except midsummer. Numbers peak during the winter period.
Aug–May
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
A common sight at reservoirs, gravel pits, and rivers throughout the year. The Lee Valley provides important fishing and roosting sites for this species.
Year-round
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
A common resident on larger lakes and reservoirs throughout Hertfordshire. Its elaborate courtship display is a highlight of spring at Tring Reservoirs.
Year-round
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
A common resident of mature woodland, parks and large gardens. Its loud drumming in spring is a familiar sound across the county's wooded areas.
Year-round
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
One of the most familiar garden visitors across Hertfordshire, present all year. Bold and vocal, readily uses nest boxes in gardens and woodland edges.
Year-round
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
An uncommon but near year-round presence at watercress beds, streams and reservoir margins. Often seen bobbing along muddy edges before flying off.
Jun–Apr
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
A common resident of gardens and hedgerows, though numbers have declined due to trichomonosis disease. Still widespread across the county.
Year-round
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
A common year-round resident, often seen standing motionless at gravel pits, rivers, and garden ponds across the county.
Year-round
Grey Partridge
Perdix perdixLC
Now rare in the county due to agricultural intensification. Favours arable farmland edges and stubble fields, with numbers in serious long-term decline.
Aug–Jun
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
An uncommon resident found along rivers and streams, bobbing its long tail on waterside rocks. Breeds near weirs and bridges in the county.
Year-round
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
A common year-round resident found on lakes, reservoirs and gravel pits across the county. Feral populations thrive alongside park lakes and farmland.
Year-round
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
A familiar year-round resident of towns and villages, nesting colonially under eaves and in hedges. Numbers have declined but it remains common across the county.
Year-round
Jackdaw
Corvus monedulaLC
A common and sociable resident, nesting in church towers, old trees, and chimneys in towns and villages alike.
Year-round
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
A common resident often seen hovering over roadside verges and open farmland. One of the county's most visible raptors throughout the year.
Year-round
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
A common year-round resident, seen over towns, at reservoirs and on farmland. Numbers increase notably during autumn passage.
Year-round
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
An uncommon resident favouring farmland, rough grassland and scrubby margins. Often forms small flocks outside the breeding season.
Year-round
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Now a common resident at lakes, rivers and gravel pits, having colonised the county in recent decades. A real success story.
Year-round
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
A resident year-round on ponds, canals and slow rivers across the county. Its whinnying trill is a familiar sound at smaller wetlands.
Year-round
Little Owl
Athene noctuaLC
A scarce resident of farmland with old trees and hedgerows, declining across the county but still found at traditional sites.
Year-round
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Charming resident seen in roving family flocks through hedgerows and woodland edges. Its delicate long tail and bouncing flight are unmistakable.
Year-round
Magpie
Pica picaLC
A bold and familiar resident of gardens, parks, and hedgerows throughout the county. Easily spotted year-round with its striking black-and-white plumage and long tail.
Year-round
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
The most familiar duck in the county, common on every pond, river, lake and canal year-round. Readily visits park lakes and gardens.
Year-round
Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulataLC
A scarce but resident breeder, favouring wooded rivers and lakes. Most likely encountered along tree-lined stretches of the Lea or Colne valleys.
Year-round
Marsh Tit
Poecile palustrisLC
A scarce resident of mature deciduous woodland, declining across the county. Best found in ancient woods with good understorey, such as those in the Chilterns.
Jun–Apr
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
An uncommon resident of rough grassland and open farmland, more conspicuous in winter when numbers are supplemented.
Year-round
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
An uncommon resident of parks, playing fields, and open woodland; one of the earliest songsters, singing from January.
Year-round
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
A common and familiar resident of ponds, streams and park lakes across the county. Readily seen in urban and suburban settings throughout the year.
Year-round
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
A common and elegant year-round resident gracing rivers, lakes and canals across the county. Breeds readily on the Lea and Colne.
Year-round
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Present year-round on farmland, with winter flocks boosted by continental arrivals. Breeding numbers have declined significantly across the county.
Year-round
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
A common resident on shallow lakes and reservoirs, using its distinctive broad bill to filter-feed. Numbers increase in winter.
Year-round
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
A rare but increasing resident, now breeding on tall structures in urban areas and hunting over open countryside.
Year-round
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
A common resident on deeper lakes and reservoirs, though nationally declining. Winter flocks at Tring Reservoirs can be impressive.
Year-round
Red Kite
Milvus milvusLC
Now a common and iconic sight soaring over the county following successful reintroduction in the Chilterns. Present year-round across most of Hertfordshire.
Year-round
Red-crested Pochard
Netta rufinaLC
An uncommon but increasing resident, often seen at Tring Reservoirs and the Lee Valley. Likely of feral origin but now well established.
Year-round
Red-legged Partridge
Alectoris rufaNT
An uncommon resident of arable farmland and field margins. Numbers are maintained largely through game releases across the county.
Year-round
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
A common resident around reedbeds, marshes and waterside scrub. Males sing from prominent perches in spring.
Year-round
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Feral pigeons are a common year-round presence in Hertfordshire's towns and cities. Truly wild Rock Doves are not found in the county.
Year-round
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Common in farmland and parkland, nesting in noisy rookeries in tall trees. Large flocks gather on arable fields throughout the year.
Year-round
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Alexandrinus krameriLC
A common and increasing resident, with noisy flocks now well established in parks and gardens across the county.
Year-round
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
A common resident heard singing from early spring in gardens and woodland. Often seen smashing snails on a favourite stone 'anvil'.
Year-round
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
An uncommon but widespread resident, hunting small birds in woodland, farmland and suburban gardens. Often seen dashing along hedgerows at speed.
Year-round
Stock Dove
Columba oenasLC
A common resident breeding in mature parkland trees and old woodpecker holes. Often overlooked alongside the abundant Woodpigeon but lacks the white neck patch.
Year-round
Tawny Owl
Strix alucoLC
A scarce but widespread resident of mature woodland and wooded parks. Its hooting call carries through the night across the county's ancient woodlands.
Year-round
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
An unobtrusive resident that spirals up tree trunks in mature woodland. Uncommon but present year-round in well-wooded areas of the county.
Year-round
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
A common year-round resident on reservoirs, gravel pits and lakes across the county. Males are striking black and white with a distinctive drooping crest.
Year-round
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
An uncommon but year-round resident of reedbeds and marshy wetlands. Secretive and more often heard squealing from dense cover than seen in the open.
Year-round
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
An abundant resident found in gardens, parks, farmland and woodland throughout the county year-round.
Year-round
Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellisLC
A rare passage visitor, occasionally picked out among large gull flocks at reservoirs and tips in early spring and winter.
Jul–Apr
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinellaLC
An uncommon resident of arable farmland with hedgerows, declining across southern England. Its bright yellow head and jangling song are distinctive.
Year-round
Breeding
(1)
Non-breeding
(15)
Brambling
Fringilla montifringillaLC
A rare winter visitor from northern Europe, sometimes joining Chaffinch flocks at woodland edges and farmland. Numbers vary greatly between years.
Oct–Apr
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to rivers and reservoirs during winter months. Known locally as Goosander, occasionally seen on the Lea and Colne valleys.
Nov–Mar
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
An uncommon winter visitor to birch and alder woodland. Small flocks may appear from October to April, often mixing with Siskins.
Oct–Apr
Eurasian Bittern
Botaurus stellarisLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to reedbeds and wetland reserves, mainly in winter. Sites like Rye Meads and Tring Reservoirs offer the best chances.
Aug–Mar
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
An uncommon winter visitor favouring alder and birch trees near water. Often seen in small flocks at garden nyjer seed feeders.
Sep–Apr
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A rare and secretive winter visitor to damp woodland and hedgerows from November to March. Most often flushed unexpectedly from leaf litter.
Nov–Mar
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
A winter visitor from Scandinavia, arriving from October and departing by April. Flocks feed on berries in hedgerows and open farmland.
Oct–Apr
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to arable fields and wet grassland from October to March. Winter flocks are occasionally found on open farmland.
Oct–Mar
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
A rare but increasingly recorded non-breeding visitor to wetlands and river valleys, reflecting the species' ongoing expansion across southern England.
Sep–Mar
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC
A rare winter visitor, occasionally seen in mature woodland and parkland with hornbeam, notably at Tring and Bramfield.
Nov–Feb
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
A secretive and rare winter visitor to marshy areas and waterlogged meadows. Easily overlooked due to its skulking habits.
Oct–Mar
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to reservoirs and gravel pits from autumn through winter. Small numbers occasionally appear in the Lea Valley.
Sep–Mar
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
A common winter visitor from Scandinavia, arriving from October and feeding in hedgerows and on berry-laden trees. Often found alongside Fieldfares in open fields.
Oct–Apr
Smew
Mergellus albellusLC
An uncommon but prized winter visitor from northern Europe, arriving from November. The striking males are a highlight at Tring and Lee Valley reservoirs.
Nov–Mar
Stonechat
Saxicola torquatusLC
An uncommon non-breeding visitor to rough grassland and heathland edges. Most likely seen from autumn through early spring on open ground.
Sep–Mar
