🔍 Overview Scarce winter visitor and passage migrant. A highly variable medium-sized wader, best known for the male’s extravagant breeding plumage (rarely seen in Sussex). 🪶 Key Identification Features Long neck, small head Leg and plumage colour vary Males much larger than females (“reeves”) 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Passage migrant and winter visitor to Pagham...
🔍 Overview A small, elusive bird that visits Sussex in summer. More often heard than seen. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size of a starling Brown with striped back and pale belly Short-tailed and rounded wings 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Prefers long grass and arable fields in warm summers. Unpredictable but has been recorded on the...
🔍 Overview An introduced species from Asia, now thriving in parts of Sussex. Arguably the most ornamental duck in Britain. 🪶 Key Identification Features Male: Bright orange sail-like feathers, ornate and multicoloured Female: Subtly patterned grey with white eye-ring Small and short-tailed 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Resident in wooded lakes and slow rivers like Arundel...
🔍 Overview Britain’s smallest and rarest woodpecker. Once more widespread in Sussex, now very scarce and local. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size of a sparrow Black and white barred back Male: Small red crown; Female: Lacks red 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Prefers mature deciduous woodland, especially West Sussex Weald and Ashdown Forest. Most active in...
🔍 Overview A tiny, elusive wader best known for its bobbing motion and preference for wet, boggy ground. Winter visitor to Sussex. 🪶 Key Identification Features Smaller and more compact than Common Snipe Shorter bill and more cryptic plumage Subtle golden stripes on back 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Winters in wet meadows, reedbeds, and marshy...
🔍 Overview The Hooded Crow is a rare vagrant in Sussex but occasionally spotted along coasts and estuaries. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Large (45–47 cm) Plumage: Grey body with black head, wings, and tail Distinctive Marks: Pale grey contrasted with black Bill: Strong and black Tail: Square Flight: Steady 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Very rare...
🔍 Overview Britain’s largest finch, known for its massive bill and shy nature. Scarce in Sussex but winter sightings increasing. 🪶 Key Identification Features Bulky finch with thick neck Huge, powerful bill Orange-brown body, black-and-white wings 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Seen at Arundel, Ebernoe, Brede High Woods, especially in late winter and early spring. 🎶...
🔍 Overview A powerful and secretive raptor, often dubbed the ‘phantom of the forest’. Rarely seen, but breeds in parts of Sussex. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Larger and bulkier than a Sparrowhawk Male: Slate grey above, pale below with fine barring Female: Bigger, browner Broad wings, long tail 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Breeds in...
🔍 Overview A saw-billed diving duck seen in Sussex during the colder months. Hunts fish in clear, deep water. 🪶 Key Identification Features Male: White body, dark green head, red bill Female: Grey body, russet head, crest Long, narrow shape and low profile 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Winters at Goring Gap, and along River Adur....
🔍 Overview Scarce passage migrant in Sussex found in farmland or coastal fields. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium (28–31 cm) Plumage (breeding): Mottled gold and black Non‑breeding: Grey with pale underparts Distinctive Marks: Black belly patch in spring Bill: Short and straight Flight: Fast and direct 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Seen in wet grasslands, flooded...
