Learn the birds you can hear

Blackbird

Slow, rich, fluting phrases that wander about and often trail off into a quiet chuckle.

Blackcap

A quiet, scratchy warm-up that suddenly bursts into a loud, clear, fluty finish.

Blue Tit

Two or three thin, high notes followed by a fast, shimmering trill: 'tsee-tsee-tsuhuhuhu'.

Bullfinch

A soft, low, rather sad piping 'peu', often the only sign of a pair hidden in a hedge.

Carrion Crow

A harsh, hoarse 'kraa-kraa-kraa', usually three or four calls in a row from a treetop, rooftop or aerial, each one flat and croaky.

Cetti's Warbler

A sudden, explosive burst of loud notes, 'chee! chewee-chewee-chewee!', from deep in a bush, then silence.

Chaffinch

A cheerful, accelerating run of notes that tumbles down and ends in a flourish, repeated over and over.

Chiffchaff

Two notes repeated in an uneven, rocking rhythm: 'chiff-chaff-chiff-chiff-chaff'.

Coal Tit

A fast, high, two-note phrase repeated several times: 'pitchoo-pitchoo-pitchoo'.

Crossbill

Loud, hard 'jip-jip-jip' calls from small flocks flying over conifers.

Cuckoo

The male's soft, far-carrying 'cuck-oo', the second note lower, repeated again and again.

Dartford Warbler

A short, scratchy, rattling warble from the top of a gorse bush, and a harsh, buzzing 'tchurr' call.

Dunnock

A hurried, flat, squeaky warble that stays on one level and stops abruptly, like a squeaky wheel turning.

Garden Warbler

A long, even, mellow warble that flows on like a brook, without the blackcap's loud finish.

Goldcrest

A very high, thin, rhythmic song, 'seeda-seeda-seeda-sissu-sweet', ending in a little flourish.

Goldfinch

Bright, liquid, tinkling twitters with a 'tickelit' call, often from small flocks feeding on seed heads.

Grasshopper Warbler

A long, dry, even reeling, like a fishing line being wound in, that can run for a minute or more and seems to fade as the bird turns its head.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

A sharp, loud 'kik!' or 'tchik!', often repeated as it bounds off through the trees.

Great Tit

A loud, ringing, two-note 'tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-cher', plus a huge range of other calls.

Green Woodpecker

A loud, ringing laugh, 'kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu', falling slightly towards the end.

Greenfinch

A long, wheezy 'dzweee' mixed with rippling trills, often delivered in a slow, floppy song flight.

Hawfinch

A sharp, explosive 'tzik', like a robin's tick but harder.

House Sparrow

Constant chattering 'chirrup' notes, usually from a group hidden in a hedge or under the eaves.

Jackdaw

A short, bright 'tchak' or 'jack', higher and cleaner than any other crow.

Jay

A harsh, tearing scream, 'kschaak', that carries through woodland.

Lesser Whitethroat

A quiet, scratchy warble followed by a loud, dry rattle on a single note.

Linnet

A fast, pleasant twittering with soft trills and buzzes, often from the top of a gorse bush or a flock in flight.

Long-tailed Tit

Thin, high 'see-see-see' notes and buzzing 'tsirrup' calls as a family flock moves through the trees.

Magpie

A loud, dry rattle, 'chak-chak-chak-chak', like a football rattle or a stick run along railings.

Marsh Tit

An explosive 'pitchoo!' call, and a song of repeated 'schip-schip-schip' notes.

Meadow Pipit

Thin 'seep-seep' calls when flushed.

Nightingale

Rich, powerful and endlessly varied: deep 'chook' notes, whistled crescendos and bubbling trills, often after dark.

Nuthatch

Loud, ringing 'tuit-tuit-tuit' whistles and fast trills.

Pied Flycatcher

A sweet, rhythmic 'zee-it, zee-it, zee-it' followed by a quick tumble of notes.

Red Kite

A long, high whistle, 'weeeooo', that breaks into a wavering 'wee-oo-wee-oo-wee-oo', called from high overhead as the bird circles.

Redstart

A short, sweet phrase that starts strongly and then fizzles out into a scratchy jumble.

Reed Warbler

A steady, rhythmic chatter of repeated notes, 'chrr-chrr-chirruc-chirruc', like a slow engine ticking over in the reeds.

Robin

Wistful, liquid phrases that jump between high and low notes, each one different, with pauses between.

Sedge Warbler

A fast, excitable, chattering jumble with sudden whistles and buzzes, never settling into a steady rhythm.

Skylark

An endless, rapid stream of warbling and trilling from high in the sky, sometimes for minutes without a break.

Song Thrush

Loud, bold phrases, each repeated two to four times before moving on: 'did-he-do-it, did-he-do-it, judy, judy, judy'.

Spotted Flycatcher

Thin, squeaky 'tzee' calls and a sparse, scratchy little song that is easy to overlook.

Starling

A mash of clicks, whistles, wheezes and gurgles, often with copies of other birds, phones or car alarms.

Stonechat

A sharp 'wheet, tak-tak' like two stones knocked together.

Tawny Owl

The famous hoot: a long 'hooo', a pause, then a wavering 'hu-hu-hu-hoooo'.

Tree Pipit

Sings from a treetop and in a song flight that ends with a slow, descending 'seea-seea-seea' as it parachutes back down.

Treecreeper

A very high, thin 'tsree' call and a short song that runs down the scale and ends with a little flourish.

Whinchat

Short, scratchy phrases mixed with sweet notes and mimicry.

Whitethroat

A short, fast, scratchy burst, often delivered in a jerky song flight above a hedge.

Willow Tit

A nasal, buzzing 'eez-eez-eez' call.

Willow Warbler

A soft, sweet cascade of notes that falls gently down the scale and ends with a flourish.

Wood Pigeon

A deep, five-note cooing phrase, 'coo-COO-coo, coo-coo', repeated a few times and ending abruptly.

Wood Warbler

An accelerating, shivering trill, sometimes alternating with a sad, piping 'pyu-pyu-pyu'.

Wren

Astonishingly loud for its size: a fast, explosive outpouring of notes with a hard, rattling trill in the middle.

Yellowhammer

A rapid run of short notes ending in a drawn-out wheeze, sung from a hedgetop or wire.

Garden top 10

10 birds, from Blackbird, Blue Tit and Chaffinch

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Dawn chorus starters

10 birds, from Blackbird, Blackcap and Chaffinch

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Out and About

14 birds, from Chaffinch, Coal Tit and Goldfinch

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Elusive

15 birds, from Bullfinch, Crossbill and Cuckoo

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Warblers

13 birds, from Blackcap, Cetti's Warbler and Chiffchaff

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Summer arrivals

17 birds, from Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Cuckoo

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Corvids

4 birds, from Carrion Crow, Jackdaw and Jay

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Easily confused

16 birds, from Blackbird, Blackcap and Chiffchaff

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