Birds in Somerset
Explore 192 species found in this region.
Somerset is one of the most rewarding counties in England for birdwatching, with 187 recorded species across its diverse landscapes. The Somerset Levels and Moors, a vast area of wetland and grazing marsh, attract spectacular species such as Great White Egret, Cetti's Warbler and Hen Harrier, while the coastline and estuaries host waders and gulls including the scarce Kentish Plover. From the Quantock Hills to Chew Valley Lake, the county offers year-round birding opportunities for beginners and experienced observers alike.
Visiting in July? Look out for Common Gull and Common Sandpiper arriving this month, and Aquatic Warbler and Cuckoo depart for the season.
Showing 162–184 of 192 species
Smew
Mergellus albellusLC
A rare and elegant winter visitor, occasionally appearing on reservoirs and flooded gravel pits during cold spells.
Nov–Feb
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
A year-round resident of hedgerows, gardens and woodland. Its rich, repeated song phrases carry far in spring.
Year-round
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, hunting small birds along woodland edges and increasingly through suburban gardens across the county.
Year-round
Spotted Crake
Porzana porzanaLC
A rare and secretive passage migrant, occasionally flushed from marshy margins on the Somerset Levels in August.
Aug
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striataLC
A rare and declining summer breeder, sallying for insects from exposed perches in churchyards and woodland edges.
May–Sep
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropusLC
A rare but widespread visitor across much of the year, found on estuarine mudflats and wet grassland. Absent only in midsummer.
Jun–Apr
Squacco Heron
Ardeola ralloidesLC
A rare vagrant from southern Europe, recorded on autumn passage in October. The Somerset Levels offer ideal heron habitat for vagrants.
Oct
Stock Dove
Columba oenasLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, nesting in old trees and farm buildings across Somerset's agricultural landscape.
Year-round
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Stonechat
Saxicola torquatusLC
An uncommon resident of gorse-clad hillsides and coastal scrub, often perching prominently on the Quantocks and Somerset coast year-round.
Year-round
Tawny Owl
Strix alucoLC
A secretive year-round resident of mature woodland, rarely seen but its quavering hoot carries through the Quantocks and Mendip valleys at night.
Year-round
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialisLC
A rare summer breeder, delivering its parachuting song-flight over scattered trees on heathland edges and young plantations.
Apr–Aug
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
Spirals up tree trunks in mature woodland across the county year-round. Easily overlooked despite being widespread.
Year-round
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Common on lakes and reservoirs throughout the year. Breeds at Chew Valley Lake and other still-water sites across Somerset.
Year-round
Tundra Bean Goose
Anser serrirostrisLC
A rare passage visitor, occasionally recorded on the Levels in midwinter among other goose flocks on wet pastures.
Jan
Tundra Swan
Cygnus columbianusLC
A rare winter visitor, with small numbers occasionally reaching the Somerset Levels in late autumn. Also known as Bewick's Swan.
Nov–Dec
Water Pipit
Anthus spinolettaLC
A rare winter visitor to the Somerset Levels, favouring watercress beds and flooded fields. Most likely seen between November and January.
Nov–Jan
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, skulking in reedbeds and ditches across the Somerset Levels. More often heard than seen.
Year-round
Western Marsh-harrier
Circus aeruginosusLC
Hunts low over the Somerset Levels reedbeds year-round. Numbers have increased in recent decades after historical decline.
Year-round
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
An uncommon passage migrant favouring open hilltops and coastal fields in spring and autumn, pausing on the Levels and Mendip grasslands.
Mar–Oct
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
A rare passage visitor, pausing on the Levels and coast during spring and autumn migration between April and September.
Apr–Sep
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetraLC
A rare summer visitor to rough grassland and moorland edges, mainly on passage in spring and autumn.
Apr–Sep
Whitethroat
Curruca communisLC
A summer visitor breeding in hedgerows and scrubby field margins. Its scratchy song is a feature of Somerset lanes.
Apr–Sep
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
A rare winter visitor to the Levels and large reservoirs, occasionally joining Mute Swan herds from October to February.
Oct–Feb