Birds in Merseyside
Explore 203 species found in this region.
Merseyside supports a rich diversity of birdlife, with 195 species recorded across the county's varied habitats. From the internationally important estuarine mudflats of the Dee and Mersey, which attract large flocks of Northern Pintail, Pink-footed Geese and Northern Lapwing, to urban parks where Great Tits and Magpies thrive, the region offers excellent birding year-round. Notable species include wintering wildfowl such as Common Shelduck and Common Merganser, as well as passage waders like Common Sandpiper and the elusive Eurasian Woodcock in woodland areas.
Visiting in April? Look out for Arctic Tern and Black Redstart arriving this month, and Common Kingfisher and Common Scoter depart for the season.
Showing 24–46 of 203 species
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
An abundant and adaptable resident found across urban, suburban, and rural habitats throughout Merseyside year-round.
Year-round
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibisLC
A rare but increasingly recorded resident, reflecting its northward spread in the UK. Often associates with livestock on damp pastures.
Apr–Jan
Cetti's Warbler
Cettia cettiLC
An uncommon but increasing resident of dense reedbed and waterside scrub, more often heard than seen year-round.
Year-round
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
A common year-round resident of woodlands, parks and gardens. Its cheerful song is one of the first heard in spring across Merseyside.
Year-round
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
A common resident whose repetitive song is heard in woodland and parks year-round. Increasingly overwinters thanks to milder conditions.
Year-round
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
An uncommon resident of coniferous and mixed woodland, regularly visiting garden feeders, especially in winter months.
Year-round
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Present all year on playing fields, estuaries and reservoirs, with numbers boosted in winter by arrivals from Scandinavia.
Year-round
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
An uncommon but dazzling resident along canals, rivers, and park lakes. Often spotted as a flash of electric blue along waterways.
Jun–Mar
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Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
A rare late-autumn and winter visitor to Liverpool Bay, occasionally spotted from shore during seawatches in November and December.
Nov–Dec
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to reservoirs and river channels, mainly from autumn through to spring.
Sep–Apr
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
A common resident of farmland and woodland edges. Frequently encountered in rural parts of Merseyside year-round.
Year-round
Common Quail
Coturnix coturnixLC
A rare and secretive passage visitor in June, more often heard calling from arable fields than seen.
Jun
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
An uncommon but increasing resident, now seen over urban and rural Merseyside alike, often betrayed by its deep cronking call.
Year-round
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
A rare resident found in birch and alder woodland. Numbers fluctuate year to year, with small flocks sometimes visiting garden feeders in winter.
Sep–May
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurusLC
A rare passage migrant in spring and autumn, pausing briefly in coastal scrub and gardens on the Sefton coast.
Apr–Sep
Common Reed-warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceusLC
An uncommon summer breeder found in reedbeds and marshy scrub from April to September, singing its chattering song.
Apr–Sep
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
An uncommon wader found along Merseyside's waterways and reservoir edges, mainly from spring through autumn. Bobs its tail constantly while feeding along shorelines.
Apr–Feb
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
A rare passage visitor, occasionally noted offshore in Liverpool Bay during March, with larger flocks further out to sea.
Jul–Apr
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
A common resident of the Mersey and Dee estuaries, easily recognised by bold plumage. Numbers build in late summer moult gatherings.
Year-round
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Probes soft ground on marshes and wet grasslands across Merseyside, most reliably seen in winter when numbers swell with continental migrants.
Jul–May
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
A common but declining resident, forming spectacular winter murmurations over sites such as Pier Head and Southport.
Year-round
Common Swift
Apus apusLC
A common summer breeder, screaming over Merseyside's towns and cities from late April to August. Nests in older buildings and is a true herald of summer.
Apr–Sep
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLC
An uncommon summer breeder, present from April to October. Nests at Seaforth and feeds over the Mersey and nearby waterways.
Apr–Oct