Birds to See in Manchester in December
94 species matching this filter.
Manchester's diverse habitats, from urban parks and canal corridors to the moorland fringes of the Pennines, support around 94 bird species through December. Winter visitors such as Fieldfare and Eurasian Woodcock join resident favourites like Great Tit, Bullfinch and Barn Owl, while waterways attract species including Common Merganser. Whether you're exploring the mosses, reservoirs or suburban gardens, December offers rewarding birdwatching across the county.
Resident
(84)
Barn Owl
Tyto albaLC
A rare resident on the rural fringes, favouring farmland and rough grassland around the Pennine edges. Occasionally seen hunting at dusk over open fields.
Oct–Aug
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
An abundant resident in virtually every habitat, from city centre gardens to woodland. Its melodious song is heard throughout the year.
Year-round
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
A common resident found in woodland, parks, and gardens year-round. Winter birds from the continent supplement the local breeding population.
Year-round
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
One of the most familiar garden birds in Manchester, present year-round. A regular visitor to feeders and nest boxes across the region.
Year-round
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
A common but often secretive resident of hedgerows, woodland edges, and mature gardens. Its soft, piping call is often heard before the bird is seen.
Year-round
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
An increasingly familiar sight soaring over farmland and moorland edges, having recolonised the region in recent decades.
Year-round
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
A common resident of park lakes, canals, and reservoirs year-round, often gathering in large moulting flocks during summer.
Year-round
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
A common and conspicuous resident across all habitats, from city centre rooftops to moorland edges. Intelligent and highly adaptable.
Year-round
Cetti's Warbler
Cettia cettiLC
A year-round resident expanding its range northward. Skulks in dense waterside vegetation, more often heard giving its explosive burst of song.
Year-round
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
A common year-round resident found in gardens, parks, and woodlands across the region. Males sing their bright, cascading song from early spring.
Year-round
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
A common resident heard singing its distinctive two-note call in parks and woodland year-round. Increasingly overwinters in sheltered urban habitats.
Year-round
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
A common resident of coniferous and mixed woodland, readily visiting garden feeders. Its high-pitched call is a familiar sound in parks.
Year-round
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Present most of the year on playing fields, reservoirs, and car parks, often mixed in with other gull flocks.
Jul–May
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
An uncommon year-round resident along clean rivers and canals, including the Mersey and Irwell. A flash of electric blue rewards patient watchers.
Year-round
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Frequents the Mersey and Irwell rivers year-round, often seen fishing in fast-flowing stretches. Known locally as goosander.
Year-round
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
An uncommon resident on farmland and green fringes around the city. Released birds sustain the population year-round.
Year-round
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
An uncommon but increasing resident, spreading from the Pennine moorland edges into more urban areas. Its deep cronking call is now heard year-round.
Year-round
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
An uncommon resident found in birch and alder woodland, particularly along river valleys. Small, twittering flocks forage acrobatically in treetops.
Year-round
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
An uncommon resident of boggy moorland edges and marshy fields, more conspicuous in winter when birds gather at lowland wetlands.
Year-round
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
A common resident forming spectacular winter murmurations over the city centre. Numbers boosted by continental arrivals in colder months.
Year-round
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Common on reservoirs, lodges, and canal basins across Greater Manchester, often gathering in large flocks in winter.
Year-round
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
A rare but charismatic resident of fast-flowing streams on the Pennine fringe. Bobs on rocks along the Goyt, Tame, and upper Mersey.
Year-round
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
A common but unassuming resident of hedgerows, gardens, and scrub. Its shuffling gait and thin song are familiar across Greater Manchester.
Year-round
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
A familiar resident in suburban gardens and housing estates, its monotonous three-note call heard throughout the year.
Year-round
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
A common resident of oak woodland and mature parks. Its harsh screeching call is often heard in autumn as it caches acorns across the region.
Year-round
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
A common resident of mature broadleaved woodland and parkland, steadily spreading across Greater Manchester. Often heard before seen.
Year-round
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
An uncommon but year-round resident, increasingly breeding inland on gravel rooftops and playing fields across Greater Manchester.
Year-round
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
An uncommon resident favouring alder and conifer woodland. Often visits garden nyjer feeders in winter, sometimes in small, lively flocks.
Year-round
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
An uncommon resident of open farmland and moorland fringes. Song flights can be heard on the Pennine edges, though numbers have declined significantly.
Year-round
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
An uncommon visitor mainly from autumn to spring, grazing on flooded fields and reservoir margins across Greater Manchester.
Aug–May
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
A common and vocal resident found in virtually every garden, park, and woodland. Its powerful song belies its tiny size throughout the year.
Year-round
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
A common and colourful resident, increasingly seen in gardens and on feeders. Charm flocks gather on teasel and thistle heads in autumn.
Year-round
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
A common resident, nesting on rooftops and loafing at tips, reservoirs, and supermarket car parks year-round.
Year-round
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
One of the most familiar garden birds, present year-round. Fiercely territorial, singing even through winter in parks and hedgerows across the region.
Year-round
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Found year-round on well-vegetated lakes and lodges. Quieter than its relatives, often overlooked among Mallards.
Year-round
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
A common resident of coniferous and mixed woodland, parks, and mature gardens. Britain's smallest bird, with a thin, high-pitched call.
Year-round
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
Scarce in the area, mainly seen on passage or in winter on farmland. Breeds on nearby Pennine moorland.
Oct–Apr
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
An uncommon diving duck on reservoirs and lodges, mainly in winter. Males flash striking white plumage in display.
Jul–May
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, often seen loafing at reservoirs and tips. The largest gull in the region, dwarfing nearby Herring Gulls.
Year-round
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
A common resident seen year-round on reservoirs, rivers, and canals. Often perches with wings outstretched to dry on waterside structures.
Year-round
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Common on larger lakes and reservoirs, performing elaborate courtship displays in spring. Numbers rise in winter.
Year-round
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
A common resident in mature woodland and leafy parks. Its loud drumming is a familiar spring sound in sites like Chorlton Ees and the Mersey valley.
Year-round
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
One of the most familiar garden birds, visiting feeders year-round and nesting readily in nest boxes.
Year-round
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
A scarce but regular visitor to muddy reservoir edges, mainly on return passage from late summer into autumn.
Jul–Apr
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
A common garden and parkland resident year-round, though numbers have declined due to disease. Often visits feeders in suburban areas.
Year-round
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
A familiar year-round presence along canals, rivers, and park lakes, often seen standing motionless at the water's edge.
Year-round
Grey Partridge
Perdix perdixLC
A rare and declining resident of arable farmland on the region's rural fringes, increasingly hard to find in Greater Manchester.
Year-round
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
A common resident along fast-flowing streams and rivers. Often bobs its long tail on rocks; increasingly seen around urban waterways and canals.
Year-round
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
A rare resident around Manchester's reservoirs and park lakes, with feral populations bolstered by wild birds in winter.
Year-round
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
A common year-round resident closely tied to urban areas. Noisy colonies nest under eaves and in hedges across Manchester's suburbs and estates.
Year-round
Jackdaw
Corvus monedulaLC
A sociable and noisy resident, commonly seen in flocks around church towers, parks, and suburban rooftops.
Year-round
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
An uncommon year-round resident, often seen hovering over motorway verges and rough grassland on the urban fringe. Numbers have declined locally.
Year-round
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
A common resident nesting on rooftops across the city. Large numbers gather at reservoirs and landfill sites throughout the year.
Year-round
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
An uncommon resident of rough grassland, allotments, and scrubby farmland margins. Numbers have declined nationally but small flocks persist locally.
Year-round
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
An uncommon but increasing resident, now seen year-round at wetland sites and river margins. A relatively recent coloniser of the Manchester area.
Year-round
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
An uncommon year-round resident on ponds, canals, and quiet lodge pools. Its distinctive trilling call often betrays its presence.
Year-round
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
A common and charming resident, roaming hedgerows and gardens in noisy family flocks. Easily found in parks and woodland edges throughout the year.
Year-round
Magpie
Pica picaLC
A bold and abundant resident throughout the region, thriving in gardens, parks, and hedgerows. One of Manchester's most familiar birds.
Year-round
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Abundant on canals, park ponds, and rivers throughout the city year-round. The most familiar duck in the region.
Year-round
Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulataLC
A rare but established resident, favouring wooded lakes and lodges where it nests in tree holes. A striking exotic addition.
Year-round
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
A year-round resident of rough grassland and moorland on the Pennine fringes. Less common in lowland urban areas of Greater Manchester.
Year-round
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
A common year-round resident of parks, playing fields, and woodland edges. Often sings from tall trees even in midwinter.
Year-round
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
A common resident found on canals, park lakes, and lodge edges throughout the year, often seen foraging boldly along bankside paths.
Year-round
Muscovy Duck
Cairina moschataLC
A rare resident of likely domestic or feral origin, sporadically recorded on park ponds and canal margins.
Sep–May
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
A familiar sight on canals, park lakes, and the River Mersey year-round. Breeds readily across the urban area.
Year-round
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
An uncommon resident of farmland and moorland fringes, with numbers boosted in winter by flocks on flooded fields. Declining nationally.
Year-round
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Present year-round on shallow lakes and lodges, sweeping its broad bill through the water. Numbers peak in winter.
Year-round
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
A rare but iconic year-round resident, nesting on tall city-centre buildings and hunting pigeons over the rooftops.
Year-round
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
An uncommon year-round resident on deeper lakes and reservoirs. Numbers are declining nationally, making local birds notable.
Year-round
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
A common resident of reedbeds, marshes, and damp scrub around local wetland sites. Males show a distinctive black head in breeding plumage.
Year-round
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Abundant year-round in the city centre and suburbs, thriving on buildings and bridges that mimic its ancestral cliff-nesting habitat.
Year-round
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
An uncommon resident, with rookeries found on the rural edges of Greater Manchester. Less numerous here than in surrounding agricultural lowlands.
Year-round
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Alexandrinus krameriLC
Now a common resident, with noisy flocks established across suburban parks and gardens. Numbers have grown rapidly in recent years.
Year-round
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
A familiar resident of gardens, parks, and woodland. Often heard smashing snail shells on paths; sadly declining nationally but still common here.
Year-round
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
A year-round resident that hunts small birds through suburban gardens and parkland. Increasingly seen darting along hedgerows across Greater Manchester.
Year-round
Stock Dove
Columba oenasLC
An uncommon year-round resident, favouring parkland and mature woodland edges with old trees providing nest holes.
Year-round
Stonechat
Saxicola torquatusLC
A rare resident favouring moorland edges and rough grassland on the fringes of Greater Manchester. Often perches prominently on gorse or fence posts.
Year-round
Tawny Owl
Strix alucoLC
A secretive year-round resident of mature woodland and wooded parks, more often heard hooting at dusk than seen.
Year-round
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
An unobtrusive resident spiralling up tree trunks in mature woodland and parks. Listen for its thin, high-pitched call year-round.
Year-round
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Common on park lakes, reservoirs, and lodges throughout the year. Dives frequently, often in sizeable winter flocks.
Year-round
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
A secretive resident of reedbeds and marshy margins, more often heard squealing than seen at sites like Pennington Flash.
Year-round
Willow Tit
Poecile montanusLC
An uncommon and declining resident of damp woodland and scrubby edges. One of the UK's most threatened species, with scattered sites across the region.
Year-round
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
An abundant year-round resident of parks, gardens, and woodland throughout the region. Large flocks often gather on playing fields in winter.
Year-round
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinellaLC
A rare resident of farmland hedgerows on the rural fringes. Has declined significantly but can still be found singing from exposed perches.
Year-round
Non-breeding
(10)
Bohemian Waxwing
Bombycilla garrulusLC
An irruptive winter visitor, occasionally appearing in berry-laden trees and hedgerows during cold spells from December to February.
Dec–Feb
Brambling
Fringilla montifringillaLC
A rare winter visitor from Scandinavia, sometimes joining Chaffinch flocks in woodland and around beech mast from October to early spring.
Oct–Apr
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A secretive winter visitor to damp woodland and garden edges. Most often flushed unexpectedly at close range.
Nov–Mar
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
A winter thrush arriving from Scandinavia, present October to April. Flocks feed on berries in hedgerows and open farmland around the city fringe.
Oct–Apr
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
A rare but increasingly recorded non-breeding visitor, appearing at wetlands and reservoirs mainly from late summer through winter.
Aug–Jan
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
A secretive winter visitor to boggy margins and marshy fields, rarely seen unless flushed at close range.
Dec–Mar
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
A rare non-breeding visitor from autumn through winter, occasionally found on reservoirs and flooded farmland in small numbers.
Sep–Feb
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Skeins fly over the city in autumn and winter, commuting between coastal roosts and inland feeding fields.
Sep–Apr
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
A common winter visitor from Scandinavia, arriving in October to feed on berries in hedgerows and parks. Often found alongside fieldfares in flocks.
Oct–Apr
Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellisLC
A rare visitor, occasionally breeding locally. Look for yellow legs among the commoner gull flocks at reservoirs and landfill sites.
Nov–Jan