Birds in North Yorkshire
Explore 218 species found in this region.
North Yorkshire is one of England's largest and most diverse counties for birdwatching, with 217 recorded species across its sweeping moorlands, rugged coastline, river valleys, and expansive wetlands. From the upland heaths of the North York Moors, where Hen Harriers and European Honey-buzzards breed, to the coastal reserves and lowland lakes that attract wintering Goldeneye and Great White Egrets, the county offers exceptional birding year-round. Scarcer visitors such as Cetti's Warbler and Long-tailed Jaeger add further excitement for keen observers.
Visiting in April? Look out for Barn Swallow and Black Grouse arriving this month, and Eurasian Woodcock and Greater Scaup depart for the season.
Showing 47–69 of 218 species
Coot
Fulica atraLC
A common resident on lakes, reservoirs, and gravel pits across the region. Aggressive and conspicuous, with a distinctive white frontal shield.
Year-round
Corn Bunting
Emberiza calandraLC
A rare and declining resident of open arable farmland, mainly in the eastern lowlands. Its jangling song from fence posts is increasingly scarce.
Oct–Jul
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorusLC
A declining summer visitor arriving in April, its distinctive call heard across moorland and dales where it parasitises meadow pipit nests.
Apr–Aug
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
A common resident breeding on moorland and farmland, with its evocative call defining the Dales landscape. A declining species of conservation concern.
Year-round
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
A rare autumn passage migrant in August–September, typically found picking through mud at coastal pools and reservoir margins.
Aug–Sep
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
A charismatic resident of fast-flowing rivers and becks in the Dales and North York Moors, bobbing on rocks year-round.
Year-round
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Present year-round, breeding on upland moors in summer and gathering on estuarine mudflats in winter. A small wader with a distinctive downcurved bill.
Year-round
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
A common and unobtrusive resident of hedgerows, gardens and scrub throughout the region. Its thin, warbling song is heard year-round.
Year-round
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Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiacaLC
A rare and sporadic resident, part of a slowly expanding feral population. Seen occasionally on lakes and grassy margins.
Sep–Jun
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
An uncommon year-round resident along the rocky Yorkshire coast. Breeds on sheltered stretches and forms rafts offshore in winter.
Year-round
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
A familiar resident of villages, farms and suburban gardens year-round. Its monotonous three-note cooing is a constant soundtrack in settled areas.
Year-round
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
An uncommon but resident corvid of broadleaved woodland, often heard giving its harsh, screeching call in autumn.
Year-round
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
Resident in mature deciduous woodland, climbing bark with distinctive jerky movements. Visits garden feeders, especially near wooded areas.
Year-round
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Common year-round along the coast from Whitby to Filey and increasingly breeding inland on river shingle in the Dales.
Year-round
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
An uncommon resident found year-round in conifer plantations and alder-lined valleys. Often visits garden feeders in winter.
Year-round
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
A common resident of open farmland and moorland, its soaring song flight a characteristic sound of the Yorkshire countryside.
Year-round
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
An uncommon year-round resident favouring farmyards and hedgerows, often in small flocks around arable land in the Vale of York.
Year-round
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Present year-round on reservoirs, lakes and coastal wetlands. Numbers swell in winter with continental arrivals joining small resident populations.
Year-round
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A secretive resident of damp woodland floors, most often glimpsed during its roding display flights at dusk in spring and summer.
Oct–Jun
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
A common and widespread resident of hedgerows, gardens, and woodland, delivering its remarkably loud song throughout the year.
Year-round
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
A common and colourful resident, increasingly seen in gardens and on seed feeders. Sociable flocks gather on thistles and teasels in autumn and winter.
Year-round
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridisLC
A scarce resident found in parkland and woodland edges, often heard giving its distinctive laughing call. Near its northern range limit here.
Year-round
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
A common and conspicuous resident, breeding on sea cliffs at Flamborough and Whitby and frequenting towns, harbours, and tips year-round.
Year-round