Birds in Shropshire
Explore 163 species found in this region.
Shropshire's diverse landscape of rolling hills, river valleys, meres, and mosses supports a rich variety of birdlife, with 163 species recorded across the county. From the upland habitats of the Shropshire Hills AONB, home to species such as the Eurasian Woodcock and Northern Lapwing, to the lowland lakes and wetlands that attract wintering wildfowl like Pink-footed Goose and Northern Pintail, the county offers rewarding birding throughout the year. Notable species include the striking Mandarin Duck, the elegant Common Merganser along the River Severn, and familiar garden visitors such as the Great Tit and Magpie.
Visiting in April? Look out for Common Redstart and Common Reed-warbler arriving this month, and Eurasian Woodcock and Great Black-backed Gull depart for the season.
Showing 70–92 of 163 species
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
A common resident found year-round on rivers, meres, and reservoirs. Often seen perched with wings outstretched along the Severn and at the county's many pools.
Year-round
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
An uncommon resident of larger meres and reservoirs, performing its elaborate head-shaking courtship display from early spring.
Year-round
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
A common resident of broadleaved and mixed woodland, frequently visiting garden feeders. Its drumming is a hallmark of spring.
Year-round
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
A common and familiar resident of gardens, woodlands, and hedgerows throughout the year. Its bold 'teacher-teacher' song is heard across the county from January.
Year-round
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
A rare but increasingly recorded non-breeding visitor, seen at meres and wetlands mainly outside the summer months.
Jun–Mar
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
A rare passage visitor, only occasionally recorded on Shropshire's larger pools and reservoirs, typically in midwinter.
Jan
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifronsLC
A rare winter visitor, occasionally appearing on floodplain grassland and meres in January and February during cold spells.
Jan–Feb
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
An uncommon but year-round presence along streams and pool edges, often flushed from ditches where it bobs distinctively.
Jun–Apr
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Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
A common year-round resident of gardens, hedgerows and farmland, though numbers have declined significantly due to disease in recent years.
Year-round
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
A rare autumn passage migrant from July to September, stopping at reservoirs and meres. Its ringing call often draws attention at sites like Venus Pool.
Jul–Sep
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
A familiar year-round resident, often seen standing motionless at river margins, pools, and farmland ditches across the county.
Year-round
Grey Partridge
Perdix perdixLC
A rare and declining species, only occasionally recorded on passage in spring. Once more widespread on Shropshire's arable farmland.
Mar–Apr
Grey Phalarope
Phalaropus fulicariusLC
A rare storm-driven passage visitor, occasionally turning up at Shropshire's reservoirs and meres during November gales.
Nov
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
An uncommon resident favouring fast-flowing streams and rivers, often seen bobbing its long tail on rocks along the Severn and its tributaries.
Year-round
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
A common year-round resident found on meres, pools and farmland. Feral and wild populations thrive across Shropshire's lowland waters.
Year-round
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC
A rare and elusive passage visitor in late winter, occasionally glimpsed in Shropshire's mature woodlands with hornbeam and cherry trees.
Feb–Mar
Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneusLC
A rare passage visitor noted in March and October, occasionally quartering over moorland and open farmland. The Long Mynd uplands offer suitable habitat.
Oct–Mar
Hobby
Falco subbuteoLC
A dashing summer visitor arriving in May, hunting dragonflies and hirundines over Shropshire's meres and heathlands before departing by September.
May–Sep
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
A common summer visitor, nesting under eaves in towns and villages from April to October.
Apr–Oct
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
A common resident closely tied to towns and villages, nesting in roof spaces and hedgerows throughout the county year-round.
Year-round
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
A secretive and rare winter visitor to boggy margins and wet meadows. Easily overlooked, often only flushed at very close range.
Nov–Mar
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
A common and sociable resident, nesting in church towers, old trees and chimney pots across Shropshire's towns and villages throughout the year.
Year-round
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
A familiar resident raptor, often seen hovering over roadside verges and open farmland while hunting small mammals.
Year-round