Birds in Rutland
Explore 201 species found in this region.
Rutland, England's smallest county, punches well above its weight when it comes to birdlife, with 192 species recorded across its diverse habitats. The centrepiece is Rutland Water, one of the largest reservoirs in Europe and a nationally important site for wildfowl and wading birds, attracting species such as Northern Pintail, Common Shelduck, and Pink-footed Goose. From the woodlands sheltering Eurasian Woodcock and Great Tit to the open farmland favoured by Northern Lapwing, Rutland offers exceptional birding opportunities year-round.
Visiting in April? Look out for Arctic Tern and Bar-tailed Godwit arriving this month, and Black Redstart and Brent Goose depart for the season.
Showing 47–69 of 201 species
Corn Bunting
Emberiza calandraLC
A rare passage visitor in midwinter, reflecting this declining farmland species' scarcity across the East Midlands.
Jan–Feb
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorusLC
An uncommon summer visitor from April to August, its distinctive call heard around Rutland Water's reedbeds and woodland.
Apr–Aug
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Resident year-round, breeding on Rutland's farmland and wet meadows. Its evocative call is a familiar sound, though nationally this species is in serious decline.
Year-round
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
A rare visitor, most likely seen on autumn passage at Rutland Water's muddy margins. Distinguished from Dunlin by its longer, decurved bill.
May–Nov
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Present year-round at Rutland Water, commonly feeding on exposed mudflats. Numbers peak during autumn passage.
Year-round
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
A common resident found year-round in hedgerows, gardens and dense undergrowth, often shuffling quietly along the ground with a distinctive thin song.
Year-round
Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiacaLC
An established resident breeding around Rutland Water, now commonly seen year-round as part of the expanding feral population in the East Midlands.
Year-round
Eurasian Bittern
Botaurus stellarisLC
A rare and secretive visitor to Rutland Water's reedbeds, most likely encountered in winter when booming calls are absent.
Aug–May
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Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
A common resident heard throughout the year in Rutland's towns and villages, with its repetitive three-note call a familiar sound.
Year-round
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
A common resident of broadleaved woodland, often heard giving its harsh screaming call. Plays a key role in oak regeneration by burying acorns.
Year-round
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
An uncommon resident of mature deciduous woodland, often seen descending tree trunks head-first. Listen for its loud, ringing call in Rutland's older woods.
Year-round
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
A common resident breeding around Rutland Water's shoreline and nearby farmland. Numbers have increased in recent decades.
Year-round
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
An uncommon resident favouring alders and birches, most visible in winter flocks but scarcer during the breeding season.
Jul–May
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
A common resident of Rutland's arable fields and grasslands, delivering its continuous song high above open farmland in spring.
Year-round
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodiaLC
A rare but increasingly regular summer visitor to Rutland Water's shallow lagoons, present from June to October.
Jun–Oct
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
An uncommon year-round resident favouring farmyards and hedgerows, more readily found around Rutland's rural edges than its cousin the House Sparrow.
Year-round
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Common across Rutland Water's grasslands and shallows, with large wintering flocks and a small number lingering through summer.
Year-round
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to Rutland's woodlands in winter, secretive and most often flushed from leaf litter.
Nov–Jan
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
One of Rutland's most abundant residents, found in gardens, hedgerows and woodland undergrowth. Remarkably loud for its tiny size, singing year-round.
Year-round
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
A common and colourful year-round resident, often seen in tinkling flocks feeding on teasel and thistle heads across Rutland's farmland and gardens.
Year-round
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridisLC
A year-round resident often heard before seen, its loud laughing call carries across Rutland's parklands, pastures and woodland edges.
Year-round
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Present year-round at Rutland Water and surrounding farmland, often seen loafing on fields or scavenging near the reservoir.
Year-round
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
A common year-round resident, one of Rutland's most familiar garden birds, singing its melodious warbling song from hedges and shrubs in all seasons.
Year-round