World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/toucan): Toucan — wildlife guide.

## Are toucans endangered?
It depends on the species. Toucans are not a single conservation case: of the roughly 40 species, most are currently assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, including the familiar toco and keel-billed toucans. However, several species are listed as Near Threatened or Vulnerable, largely because of rainforest clearance and trapping for the pet trade. As forests shrink, more species could move toward threatened status over time.

## How big is a toucan and how heavy is its bill?
Toucans vary widely in size. The smallest araçaris are about 29 cm long and weigh around 130 g, while the largest, the toco toucan, reaches about 56 to 63 cm and roughly 540 to 680 g, similar to a crow. The enormous bill can be over half the body length, yet weighs very little because it is built from light, foam-like keratin over a thin bony framework.

## What do toucans eat?
Toucans are mainly frugivores, eating a broad range of fruits such as figs, palm fruits and guavas. They are also opportunistic omnivores, taking insects, spiders, lizards and occasionally the eggs and chicks of other birds for extra protein. By swallowing fruit whole and depositing the seeds elsewhere, toucans act as important seed dispersers, helping rainforest trees regenerate across wide areas.

## Why is the toucan's bill so colourful and large?
The bill's bold colours likely aid species recognition and social signalling, helping toucans identify one another and display in the canopy. Its great size gives the bird a long reach for fruit and a tool for sparring. Crucially, the bill is also a thermal radiator: rich in blood vessels, it can shed a large share of the toucan's body heat, working a little like an elephant's ears to keep the bird cool.

## Where do toucans live?
Toucans are found only in the Neotropics, from southern Mexico through Central America and across South America to northern Argentina. Most live in lowland tropical rainforest, but some species, such as certain mountain toucans, inhabit cooler Andean cloud forests at high altitude. They are non-migratory, staying within their forest territories year-round and relying on tree cavities for nesting.

## Can toucans be kept as pets?
Toucans are wild birds with specialised needs, including a fruit-rich diet, plenty of space to move and complex social lives, which make them very difficult to keep well in captivity. Demand for them as exotic pets has fuelled trapping that harms wild populations. International trade in some species is regulated under CITES. For their welfare and conservation, toucans are best appreciated in the wild or through responsible, accredited facilities, not bought as pets.

## Are toucans dangerous?
Toucans are not generally dangerous to people. A toucan is a brightly coloured, fruit-eating rainforest bird of the family Ramphastidae, native to Central and South America. Around 40 species exist, all recognised by an enormous yet lightweight bill used for feeding, display and heat regulation. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

## How long do toucans live?
A precise wild lifespan for toucans is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. A toucan is a brightly coloured, fruit-eating rainforest bird of the family Ramphastidae, native to Central and South America. Around 40 species exist, all recognised by an enormous yet lightweight bill used for feeding, display and heat regulation. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/swan): Swan — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A swan is a large, long-necked waterbird of the genus Cygnus and the biggest member of the duck and goose family. There are six living species worldwide. Swans feed mainly on aquatic plants, form strong, often lifelong pair bonds, and are renowned for their graceful appearance.

## Introduction
Swans are large, long-necked waterbirds of the genus Cygnus, the biggest members of the duck, goose and swan family. There are six living species, including the mute, whooper, black, trumpeter, tundra and black-necked swans, found across Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Among the heaviest flying birds, they glide on lakes and slow rivers, feeding mostly on water plants reached by upending their long necks. Swans are celebrated for their grace and for forming strong, often lifelong pair bonds. In the UK the mute swan carries a long royal tradition, and the common species are not currently threatened, though wetland loss affects them everywhere.

## Takeaway
Swans (genus Cygnus) are the largest waterfowl and among the heaviest flying birds, with the trumpeter and mute swans the biggest species.

## Takeaway
There are six living species, ranging from the all-white northern swans to the black swan of Australia and the South American black-necked swan.

## Takeaway
They are largely herbivorous, feeding on aquatic vegetation reached by dipping or upending their long necks.

## Takeaway
Swans usually pair for life, and both parents help raise their grey cygnets, which can stay with the family for months.

## Takeaway
In the UK, unmarked mute swans on open water are traditionally Crown property, a custom dating back centuries.

## Takeaway
The common species are assessed as Least Concern, but wetland drainage, pollution and disturbance still threaten swans and other waterbirds.

## What does a swan look like, and how big do they get?
Swans are unmistakable: very large waterbirds with long, slender necks, broad webbed feet and heavy bodies. The northern species, the mute, whooper, trumpeter and tundra swans, are white as adults, while the Australian black swan is sooty-black with a red bill, and the South American black-necked swan has a white body and a dark neck. Size is part of what sets swans apart from their goose and duck relatives. The mute swan typically measures around 1.4 to 1.6 metres in length, with large males reaching well over 1.5 metres and occasionally weighing more than 15 kilograms, while wingspans can exceed three metres. The trumpeter swan of North America is generally considered the largest waterfowl species, although heavy male mute swans rival it in mass. Young swans, called cygnets, hatch covered in greyish-brown down and only gradually acquire adult plumage over their first year, which is why a flock often shows a mix of pristine white birds and mottled grey juveniles.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/swan): Swan — wildlife guide.

## What do swans eat and how do they live?
Swans are almost entirely herbivorous. They feed mainly on aquatic plants, taking the roots, tubers, stems and leaves of submerged and floating vegetation, and will also graze on grasses and crops in fields near water. Their long necks are a feeding adaptation, letting them reach plants on the bottom of lakes, ponds and slow rivers by dipping the head under or upending the body so the tail points skyward. They may also eat small quantities of aquatic insects and other tiny animals, particularly as growing cygnets need protein. Swans are strong fliers despite their bulk, and northern species such as the whooper and tundra swan are long-distance migrants, travelling between breeding grounds and milder wintering wetlands. On the ground and water they can be surprisingly assertive, defending nests and young vigorously. Outside the breeding season many swans gather in flocks on lakes, estuaries and reservoirs, sometimes numbering in the hundreds where food is plentiful.

## Do swans really mate for life?
Swans are famous for their devotion, and the reputation is largely deserved. Pairs usually form strong, long-lasting bonds and often stay together for life, returning to the same territory year after year to breed. Both the male, called a cob, and the female, called a pen, share in raising the family: they build a large nest of vegetation near or over water, take turns incubating the eggs, and then guard and guide the cygnets together for months after hatching. This long period of parental care gives young swans a strong start. Pair bonds are not absolutely unbreakable, and separations do occur, more often after a failed breeding attempt, but lifelong fidelity is the norm rather than the exception. The image of two swans facing each other with their necks forming a heart shape has become a widespread symbol of loyalty and love, rooted in genuine, observable behaviour rather than pure myth.

## Why are swans linked to the British Crown?
In Britain, the mute swan carries a centuries-old royal tradition. By long-standing custom, the reigning monarch holds the right to ownership of all unmarked mute swans swimming in open water, a status that earned the swan the nickname 'Royal Bird'. In practice this right is now exercised only along certain stretches of the River Thames and its tributaries, where the Crown shares ownership with two ancient livery companies, the Vintners and the Dyers, who were granted rights to keep swans in the fifteenth century. Each year a ceremonial count and health-check of swans on the Thames, known as Swan Upping, takes place, during which young birds are weighed, measured and assessed before being released. It is worth correcting a common myth: the monarch does not own every swan in the country, only unmarked mute swans on certain open waters. Elsewhere, swans are wild birds protected under ordinary wildlife law.

## WARN work
WARN does not run field projects dedicated specifically to swans, which are mostly common and live well beyond the countries where our partners work; instead this guide is part of our free public education work. The wetland loss, pollution and disturbance that affect swans are the same pressures bearing down on many waterbirds and other species we do help protect, so understanding one connects to caring for all.

## Donation hook
If this guide deepened your wonder at the natural world, supporting WARN's free education and animal-welfare work helps us keep telling these stories.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/swan): Swan — wildlife guide.

## How many species of swan are there?
There are six living species of swan in the genus Cygnus: the mute swan, whooper swan, tundra swan and trumpeter swan of the Northern Hemisphere, the black swan of Australia, and the black-necked swan of South America. They share the family with ducks and geese but are the largest members. Several extinct swan species are also known from the fossil record.

## What is a baby swan called?
A baby swan is called a cygnet. Cygnets hatch covered in soft greyish-brown down and follow their parents on the water within a day or two. They gradually grow adult feathers over their first year, so young white-species swans look dusky grey before turning white. Both parents guard and feed the cygnets, which often stay with the family for several months.

## Do swans mate for life?
Swans usually form strong, long-lasting pair bonds and often stay together for life, returning to the same breeding territory each year. Both parents share nest-building, incubation and raising the cygnets. Bonds are not unbreakable, and separations do happen, more often after a failed breeding season, but lifelong fidelity is genuinely the norm, which is why swans have become a lasting symbol of devotion.

## Does the Queen or King own all swans in the UK?
No, this is a common misconception. By tradition the British monarch can claim ownership of unmarked mute swans on certain stretches of open water, chiefly parts of the River Thames, where the Crown shares the right with two ancient livery companies. The annual Swan Upping ceremony counts and checks these birds. Most swans in Britain are simply wild birds protected by ordinary wildlife law.

## Are swans dangerous or aggressive?
Swans are generally peaceful but can be assertive, especially when defending a nest, eggs or cygnets. A threatened swan may hiss, raise its wings and lunge, and large birds can deliver a strong blow with their wings. Serious injuries to people are rare, and most aggression is a bluff to drive intruders away. Giving nesting swans space during spring and summer keeps both birds and people safe.

## What do swans eat?
Swans eat Mainly aquatic plants (herbivorous). A swan is a large, long-necked waterbird of the genus Cygnus and the biggest member of the duck and goose family. There are six living species worldwide.

## Where do swans live?
Swans live in Europe, Asia, the Americas, Australia. A swan is a large, long-necked waterbird of the genus Cygnus and the biggest member of the duck and goose family. There are six living species worldwide.

## How long do swans live?
A precise wild lifespan for swans is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. A swan is a large, long-necked waterbird of the genus Cygnus and the biggest member of the duck and goose family. There are six living species worldwide. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

## How big is a swan?
A Swan is about About 1.4–1.6 m. A swan is a large, long-necked waterbird of the genus Cygnus and the biggest member of the duck and goose family. There are six living species worldwide.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/ostrich): Ostrich — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
An ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the world's largest and heaviest living bird, a flightless African species standing over two metres tall. Built for running rather than flight, it is the fastest bird on land at around 70 km/h and lays the biggest eggs of any living bird.

## Introduction
The ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest and heaviest living bird on Earth. Native to the savannas and semi-arid plains of Africa, it cannot fly, but its long, muscular legs make it the fastest bird on land, sprinting at around 70 km/h. A grown male stands well over two metres tall and may weigh more than 100 kg. Ostriches also lay the largest eggs of any living bird, each roughly the weight of two dozen hen's eggs. With huge eyes, just two toes per foot, and a diet of plants and small animals, the ostrich is a striking example of how birds adapt to life on the ground rather than in the air.

## Takeaway
The common ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest and heaviest living bird in the world.

## Takeaway
It is flightless but is the fastest running bird, reaching around 70 km/h on the open plains.

## Takeaway
Ostriches lay the largest eggs of any living bird — each weighs roughly 1.4 kg.

## Takeaway
They are the only birds with just two toes on each foot, an adaptation for fast running.

## Takeaway
The common ostrich is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but the closely related Somali ostrich is assessed as Vulnerable.

## Takeaway
They have the largest eyes of any land vertebrate, around 5 cm across.

## What does an ostrich look like and how big is it?
The ostrich is unmistakable: a towering, long-necked bird with a small head, large expressive eyes, and a body carried high on two powerful bare legs. Males are the larger sex, standing up to about 2.7 metres tall and weighing in excess of 100 kg, with bold black body plumage offset by white wing and tail feathers. Females and younger birds are smaller and a more muted greyish-brown, which helps camouflage them on the nest. The long neck and legs are largely bare, ranging from pinkish to bluish-grey depending on the population. Each foot bears just two toes — unique among birds — with the larger inner toe ending in a stout, hoof-like nail that aids both running and defence. The eyes are enormous, around 5 cm in diameter, the largest of any land vertebrate, giving the ostrich excellent long-distance vision across open country. Though the wings are useless for flight, they are far from redundant: ostriches spread them for balance and steering while sprinting, in courtship displays, and to shade their chicks from the harsh African sun.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/ostrich): Ostrich — wildlife guide.

## How fast can an ostrich run, and why can't it fly?
The ostrich is the fastest bird on land, capable of sustained speeds around 70 km/h and short bursts that are faster still. Its whole body is built for this: long, spring-like legs, reduced toes that concentrate force, and lightweight feathers. Flightlessness is not a failing but an evolutionary trade-off. Ostriches belong to the ratites, an ancient group of flightless birds that also includes emus, rheas, cassowaries and kiwis. Unlike flying birds, ratites lack a keeled breastbone to anchor large flight muscles, so their wings cannot generate lift. Instead, evolution invested in size, stamina and speed. On the open savanna, where there are few places to hide, outrunning a predator such as a lion or cheetah is a more reliable strategy than escaping into the air. A running ostrich can also deliver a formidable forward kick with its clawed foot, powerful enough to deter most attackers. Good eyesight and height let it spot danger early, and ostriches often graze alongside zebras and antelopes, the herds acting as extra early-warning systems against approaching predators.

## What do ostriches eat, and how do they breed?
Ostriches are mainly herbivorous, feeding on seeds, grasses, leaves, roots, flowers and fruit, with occasional insects, small reptiles and other small animals. Like many birds they swallow grit and small stones, which collect in the gizzard and help grind up tough plant matter. They can go for long periods without drinking, taking much of the moisture they need from their food — a valuable trait in dry habitats. Breeding revolves around a communal nest, which is simply a shallow scrape in the ground. A dominant 'major' hen lays her eggs there, and several minor hens add theirs, so a single nest may hold many eggs, of which around twenty are typically incubated. The dominant female incubates by day, when her paler plumage blends with the sun-bleached ground, and the black male takes over at night. Incubation lasts roughly six weeks. The chicks are well developed at hatching and can run within days, but they remain vulnerable to predators, and family groups sometimes merge into large crèches tended by a few adults.

## WARN work
World Animal Rescue Network does not run dedicated field projects for ostriches, which live across Africa, outside the countries where WARN's partners work. This guide is part of WARN's free educational library, written to help people understand the world's wildlife. The pressures that touch ostriches — habitat loss, conversion of wild land, and hunting — are the same forces that threaten the animals WARN does protect, so understanding one species helps make the case for all of them.

## Donation hook
If you have enjoyed learning about the ostrich, a small gift helps WARN keep this educational library free and supports the animals our partners care for every day.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/ostrich): Ostrich — wildlife guide.

## Is an ostrich the largest bird in the world?
Yes. The common ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest and heaviest living bird on Earth. A large male can stand around 2.7 metres tall and weigh well over 100 kg. No other living bird matches it for size or weight. It also lays the largest eggs of any living bird, each weighing roughly 1.4 kg — about the equivalent of two dozen chicken eggs.

## Can ostriches fly?
No, ostriches cannot fly. They belong to a group of flightless birds called ratites, which also includes emus, rheas and cassowaries. Ratites lack the keeled breastbone needed to anchor powerful flight muscles, so their wings cannot lift them off the ground. Instead, ostriches have evolved to run extremely fast, using their wings for balance, steering, courtship displays and shading their chicks.

## How fast can an ostrich run?
The ostrich is the fastest bird on land, able to run at around 70 km/h, with short bursts that can be faster still. Its long, muscular legs and reduced two-toed feet are built for speed and stamina across open country. This running ability is its main defence: rather than flying away from predators such as lions and cheetahs, an ostrich outruns them, and can also deliver a powerful kick if cornered.

## How big are ostrich eggs?
Ostrich eggs are the largest of any living bird. A single egg is about 15 cm long and 13 cm wide and weighs roughly 1.4 kg — more than twenty times the weight of a hen's egg. Several females may lay in one communal nest, so a nest can hold many eggs, of which around twenty are typically incubated. Despite their size, the eggs are relatively small compared with the ostrich's body.

## Do ostriches really bury their heads in the sand?
No — this is a myth. Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand to hide from danger; they would suffocate if they did. The idea probably comes from their behaviour at the nest: ostriches periodically lower their heads to turn their eggs in the shallow ground scrape, and from a distance a head held low against the earth can look as though it has vanished. When threatened, an ostrich runs, hides by lying flat, or kicks.

## What do common ostrichs eat?
Common Ostrichs eat Mainly plants; some insects and small animals. An ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the world's largest and heaviest living bird, a flightless African species standing over two metres tall.

## Where do common ostrichs live?
Common Ostrichs live in Savannas and semi-arid plains of Africa. An ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the world's largest and heaviest living bird, a flightless African species standing over two metres tall.

## Are common ostrichs dangerous?
Common Ostrichs are not generally dangerous to people. An ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the world's largest and heaviest living bird, a flightless African species standing over two metres tall. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

## How long do common ostrichs live?
A precise wild lifespan for common ostrichs is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. An ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the world's largest and heaviest living bird, a flightless African species standing over two metres tall. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/emu): Emu — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
An emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is a large flightless bird native to Australia. The country's tallest bird and the second-tallest living bird after the ostrich, it reaches about 1.9 metres, runs nearly 50 km/h, and is unusual in that males incubate the eggs and raise the chicks.

## Introduction
The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is Australia's largest native bird and, after the ostrich, the second-tallest living bird on Earth. Standing up to around 1.9 metres, this soft-feathered, flightless giant roams woodland, grassland and arid scrub across mainland Australia, striding on powerful three-toed legs that can carry it at speeds approaching 50 km/h. Emus are famous for their reversed family roles: the male alone incubates the dark-green eggs and then guards and raises the striped chicks for many months. Highly nomadic, emus follow rainfall and food across vast distances. Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, the species remains widespread and is also farmed for meat, oil and leather.

## Takeaway
The emu is Australia's largest bird and the world's second-tallest living bird after the ostrich.

## Takeaway
It is flightless but a powerful runner, reaching speeds of around 48 km/h on long three-toed legs.

## Takeaway
Males take sole charge of reproduction, incubating the eggs for about eight weeks and raising the chicks.

## Takeaway
Emus lay large, thick-shelled dark-green eggs, typically a clutch of around 5 to 15.

## Takeaway
Highly nomadic, emus travel long distances to follow rainfall and seasonal food.

## Takeaway
The IUCN lists the emu as Least Concern, though three island subspecies became extinct after European settlement.

## What does an emu look like and how big is it?
The emu is an unmistakable bird: tall, long-necked and covered in shaggy, soft, grey-brown plumage that hangs loosely and gives it a slightly dishevelled appearance. Adults stand up to roughly 1.9 metres tall and weigh anywhere from about 18 to 60 kilograms, with most birds averaging in the low-to-mid thirties. Unusually, each feather has a double shaft, and the loose structure helps insulate the bird against both heat and cold. The head and upper neck are sparsely feathered, exposing bluish skin that is most visible during the breeding season. Emus are flightless — their wings are reduced to small stubs roughly the size of a hand — but they more than compensate on land. Three-toed feet and strong legs let them stride at a relaxed pace over huge distances and sprint at close to 48 km/h when alarmed, with a stride that can exceed two metres at full speed. They are also capable swimmers. Only the ostrich stands taller among living birds, making the emu the second-tallest bird on Earth and the largest native to Australia.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/emu): Emu — wildlife guide.

## Why do male emus raise the young?
Emus reverse the parental roles seen in most birds. After a female courts a male and they pair for a breeding season, the female lays a clutch of large, thick-shelled, dark-green eggs — commonly around 5 to 15 — in a simple ground nest. From that point the male takes over entirely. He incubates the eggs for about 56 days, during which he barely eats, drinks or leaves the nest, often losing a significant share of his body weight and surviving on stored fat. Females may wander off and sometimes mate again with other males, occasionally laying in more than one nest. Once the chicks hatch, the striped, cream-and-brown youngsters follow their father, who fiercely defends them and leads them to food. He may care for the brood for five to seven months, and young birds can remain with him for up to a year and a half. This male-centred system, combined with communal nests that sometimes hold eggs from several females, makes emu family life one of the most distinctive among large birds.

## Where do emus live and what do they eat?
Emus are found across most of mainland Australia, occupying a remarkable range of habitats from sclerophyll forest and savanna woodland to semi-arid grassland and shrubland. They tend to avoid only the densest forests and the most extreme deserts and the heavily cleared, settled regions. Because so much of Australia is dry and unpredictable, emus are strongly nomadic, travelling long distances — sometimes hundreds of kilometres — in response to rainfall and the food it brings. Their diet is broad and opportunistic. Emus are omnivores that feed mainly on the parts of plants richest in nutrients: seeds, fruits, flowers, fresh shoots and young foliage. They also eat insects and other small invertebrates such as grasshoppers, beetles and caterpillars, especially when feeding growing chicks. Like many birds, they swallow stones, glass and other hard objects (gastroliths) to help grind food in the gizzard, and they will travel to drink when water is available. By eating fruits and moving widely, emus act as important seed dispersers, spreading native plants across the landscape — a quiet but valuable ecological role for such a large and far-ranging bird.

## WARN work
WARN does not run field projects specifically for emus, which are widespread across Australia and lie outside the countries where WARN's partners work on the ground. This guide is part of WARN's free educational work, helping people understand the world's wildlife. The broad threats that touch emus — habitat clearance, road collisions and changing rainfall — are the same pressures that fall on the animals WARN does protect in its partner countries.

## Donation hook
If you enjoy learning about wildlife like the emu, a small gift helps keep these guides free and supports the everyday animals in WARN's care.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/emu): Emu — wildlife guide.

## Can emus fly?
No, emus cannot fly. They are flightless birds whose wings are reduced to small stubs roughly the size of a human hand. Instead of flight, emus rely on running: their long, powerful legs let them stride efficiently over long distances and sprint at speeds of around 48 km/h to escape danger. They are also surprisingly good swimmers when they need to cross water.

## How fast can an emu run?
An emu can run at speeds of up to around 48 km/h (about 30 mph). Its long legs and three-toed feet are built for endurance and speed across open country, and at full sprint an emu's stride can exceed two metres. This running ability is its main defence against predators, since the bird is flightless and relies on its legs rather than its small, vestigial wings.

## Do male or female emus sit on the eggs?
Male emus do all the incubating. After the female lays a clutch of large green eggs, the male sits on them for about 56 days, rarely eating, drinking or leaving the nest and losing a large share of his body weight in the process. Once the chicks hatch, the father continues to guard and raise them, often caring for the brood for several months.

## What colour are emu eggs and how big are they?
Emu eggs are very large, thick-shelled and a distinctive dark green colour, sometimes appearing almost blackish-green. A single egg is far larger than a chicken's, weighing around half a kilogram or more. A typical clutch contains roughly 5 to 15 eggs, and because several females sometimes lay in one nest, communal nests can hold considerably more. The male incubates them for about eight weeks.

## What do emus eat?
Emus are omnivores with a broad, opportunistic diet. They feed mainly on nutrient-rich plant parts such as seeds, fruits, flowers and fresh shoots, and they also eat insects and other small invertebrates like grasshoppers, beetles and caterpillars. Emus swallow small stones (gastroliths) to help grind food in the gizzard. By eating fruit and travelling widely, they help disperse the seeds of many native Australian plants.

## Are emus endangered?
No, emus are not endangered. The IUCN Red List classes the species as Least Concern, with a large population and a wide range across mainland Australia. However, three island subspecies — on Tasmania, Kangaroo Island and King Island — became extinct after European settlement. Today the main pressures on emus are habitat clearance, vehicle collisions and the unpredictable rainfall of their arid homeland.

## Where do emus live?
Emus live across mainland Australia in woodland, grassland and arid scrub, roaming widely on powerful three-toed legs that can carry them at speeds around 48 km/h. They are highly nomadic, following rainfall and food across vast distances. Standing up to about 1.9 m, the emu is Australia's largest native bird and the second-tallest living bird after the ostrich. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern.

## Are emus dangerous?
Emus are generally wary of people but can be dangerous if cornered or during breeding season. Powerful legs and sharp claws can inflict serious kicks. Standing up to 1.9 m and weighing typically 31–37 kg (sometimes 18–60 kg), they are fast runners at around 48 km/h. Wild emus rarely attack unprovoked. Vehicle collisions and habitat clearance are more common sources of conflict than deliberate aggression toward humans.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/emu): Emu — wildlife guide.

## How long do emus live?
Emus live around 10 years in the wild and up to about 20 years in captivity. The male alone incubates dark-green eggs for about 56 days, then guards and raises striped chicks for many months — one of the best-known reversed parental roles in birds. After hatching, chicks grow quickly on an omnivorous diet of seeds, fruit, shoots and insects. The species remains widespread and Least Concern across mainland Australia.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/albatross): Albatross — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
An albatross is a large oceanic seabird of the family Diomedeidae, comprising about 22 species. Albatrosses have the longest wingspan of any living bird — up to around 3.5 metres in the wandering albatross — and glide vast distances over the Southern Ocean and North Pacific, coming ashore only to breed.

## Introduction
Albatrosses are large seabirds of the family Diomedeidae, with around 22 species ranging across the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific. They are famous for having the longest wingspan of any living bird — the wandering albatross reaches roughly 3.5 metres — which lets them glide for thousands of kilometres over open water using barely a wingbeat. Superbly adapted to a life at sea, they come ashore only to breed, often on remote islands, and many pairs bond for life. Yet albatrosses are also the most threatened bird family on Earth, with many species classed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered, chiefly because they are killed as bycatch on longline fishing gear.

## Takeaway
Albatrosses (family Diomedeidae, about 22 species) are large seabirds of the open ocean.

## Takeaway
The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird, up to roughly 3.5 metres.

## Takeaway
They use a technique called dynamic soaring to glide vast distances with very little effort.

## Takeaway
Most spend years at sea, returning to land only to breed, and many pairs bond for life.

## Takeaway
Albatrosses are the most threatened bird family on Earth, with many species Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered.

## Takeaway
Longline-fishing bycatch is the leading driver of their decline.

## Why do albatrosses have such enormous wings?
Albatrosses are built for a life of near-perpetual flight over the open ocean, and their wings are the key to it. The wandering albatross has the longest wingspan of any living bird, reaching around 3.5 metres, with the great albatrosses generally the largest. Their wings are long, narrow and stiff — a shape that excels at gliding rather than flapping. To stay aloft over featureless seas without exhausting themselves, albatrosses use a technique known as dynamic soaring. They repeatedly climb into the wind, then turn and swoop down across it, harvesting energy from the difference in wind speed between the wave troughs and the air higher up. The result is that an albatross can travel for hours, and cover thousands of kilometres, with scarcely a wingbeat. A tendon arrangement in the shoulder even lets them lock their wings open, holding them outstretched at little muscular cost. This efficiency is why albatrosses can forage across entire ocean basins and circle the globe between breeding seasons.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/albatross): Albatross — wildlife guide.

## Where do albatrosses live and how do they breed?
Most albatross species live in the Southern Ocean, ranging across the seas around Antarctica, South America, southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and breeding on remote subantarctic and oceanic islands. A smaller group lives in the North Pacific. They are pelagic for most of their lives, drinking seawater and excreting excess salt through specialised glands above the bill, and coming ashore only to nest. Breeding is famously slow and deliberate. Albatrosses are long-lived — individuals can survive for decades, with some passing fifty years — and they typically mate for life, reuniting with the same partner across many seasons. Pairs perform elaborate courtship dances of bowing, bill-clattering and calling. Most lay only a single egg, and in the larger species the chick takes the best part of a year to fledge, so many pairs breed only once every two years. This low reproductive rate makes albatross populations slow to recover from any added source of adult deaths.

## Why are albatrosses so threatened?
Albatrosses are widely regarded as the most threatened bird family on Earth. The single greatest pressure is bycatch in longline fisheries: birds dive on the baited hooks set behind fishing vessels, get caught, and are dragged underwater and drowned. Because albatrosses are long-lived and breed slowly, the loss of even modest numbers of breeding adults each year can drive steep population declines. Trawl fisheries also kill birds through collisions with cables. On their breeding islands, introduced predators such as rats, cats and mice prey on eggs, chicks and even adults, while plastic pollution and ingested debris add further harm. Climate change and shifting ocean conditions may compound these threats. The encouraging news is that bycatch is largely preventable: measures such as setting lines at night, weighting them to sink quickly, and trailing bird-scaring streamer lines can cut seabird deaths dramatically where they are adopted, offering a realistic path to recovery for many species.

## WARN work
WARN does not run field projects specifically for albatrosses, which live far from the countries where our partners work out on the open ocean. This guide is part of WARN's free educational work: helping people understand the wildlife that shares our planet and the pressures it faces. The threats that drive albatross declines — habitat loss on breeding islands, introduced predators, pollution and unsustainable fishing — are the same forces that endanger many of the animals WARN does protect closer to home.

## Donation hook
If this guide deepened your wonder at the natural world, a small gift helps WARN keep producing free wildlife education and caring for animals in the communities we serve.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/albatross): Albatross — wildlife guide.

## What is the wingspan of an albatross?
The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird, reaching around 3.5 metres from tip to tip. This makes it, along with the southern royal albatross, one of the largest flying birds in the world. Smaller albatross species, such as the mollymawks, have shorter wingspans but are still substantial seabirds built for long-distance gliding.

## How long can an albatross fly without landing?
Albatrosses spend most of their lives at sea and can stay airborne for very long periods, gliding for days at a time. Using a technique called dynamic soaring, they harvest energy from the wind to cover thousands of kilometres with almost no flapping. Outside the breeding season some birds range across entire ocean basins, coming ashore only to nest.

## Are albatrosses endangered?
Albatrosses are the most threatened bird family in the world. Of the roughly 22 species, many are classed by the IUCN as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered. The chief cause is bycatch in longline fisheries, where birds are hooked and drowned. Because albatrosses breed slowly and live long, populations recover only slowly from added adult losses.

## What do albatrosses eat?
Albatrosses feed mainly on squid, fish and krill, taken from at or near the ocean surface. They seize prey while sitting on the water or in shallow dives, and some scavenge offal and discards from fishing vessels. They can drink seawater, excreting the excess salt through special glands above the bill — an adaptation for a life spent far from fresh water.

## Do albatrosses mate for life?
Most albatrosses form long-term pair bonds and typically mate for life, reuniting with the same partner across many breeding seasons. Pairs perform elaborate courtship dances of bowing, bill-clattering and calling to maintain the bond. They usually lay a single egg, and in the larger species raising a chick can take most of a year, so many pairs breed only every other year.

## How long do albatrosses live?
Albatrosses are among the longest-lived birds. Many individuals survive for several decades, and some are known to pass fifty years of age. This long lifespan goes hand in hand with very slow breeding — a single egg, slow-growing chicks and often only one breeding attempt every two years — which is why losing breeding adults to fishing bycatch is so damaging to their populations.

## Where do albatrosses live?
Albatrosses spend most of their lives over open ocean in the Southern Ocean and North Pacific, gliding thousands of kilometres with barely a wingbeat. They come ashore only to breed, often on remote islands, and many pairs bond for life. Around 22 species exist, but most are threatened — chiefly from longline fishing bycatch.

## Are albatrosses dangerous?
Albatrosses do not attack people. The main danger they pose is indirect: they are the most threatened bird family on Earth, with many species classed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered because they are killed as bycatch on longline fishing gear. Losing breeding adults is especially damaging because pairs often raise only one chick every two years.

## How big is an albatross?
The wandering albatross has the longest wingspan of any living bird — up to roughly 3.5 metres according to this guide's stats. That enormous wingspan lets albatrosses glide vast distances over open water. Body size varies among the roughly 22 species in the family Diomedeidae.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/robin): European Robin — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small Eurasian songbird with a distinctive orange-red face and breast, brown upperparts and a pale belly. Common in gardens, woods and hedgerows, it is famously territorial, sings year-round and is widely associated with British winters and Christmas.

## Introduction
The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small, round garden bird famous for its bright orange-red face and breast, and for being one of the few birds in Europe to sing right through the depths of winter. Found across the UK, Europe, North Africa and into western Asia, it is the model for countless Christmas cards and a fixture of gardens, woodlands and hedgerows. Despite its tame, friendly reputation around gardeners and bird tables, the robin is fiercely territorial and will defend its patch with song and, sometimes, violence. Crucially, it is not the same bird as the American robin, a much larger and unrelated thrush that merely shares the name.

## Takeaway
The European robin is a small Eurasian songbird with an unmistakable orange-red face and breast.

## Takeaway
It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a large and widespread population.

## Takeaway
Robins are highly territorial and use their song to defend a patch all year, not just in spring.

## Takeaway
Both male and female robins look alike, so the sexes cannot be told apart by plumage alone.

## Takeaway
The American robin is an unrelated, larger thrush that only shares the name.

## Takeaway
It is not CITES-listed and faces no major global conservation threat, though it shares pressures like habitat loss with other wildlife.

## What does a European robin look like?
The European robin is a compact, plump-looking songbird, about 12.5 to 14 centimetres long with a wingspan of roughly 20 to 22 centimetres and a weight of 16 to 22 grams, making it a little smaller than a house sparrow. Its most striking feature is the warm orange-red wash that covers the face and breast, bordered by a soft blue-grey band along the sides of the head and chest. The upperparts are an olive-brown, the belly is whitish, and the bird has slender dark legs, a fine pointed beak and large dark eyes suited to feeding in low light. Males and females are essentially identical in plumage, so they cannot be reliably told apart by appearance alone. Young robins look quite different: they lack the red breast entirely and are instead heavily mottled and spotted in brown and buff, which helps camouflage them and avoids triggering the territorial aggression that the red breast provokes in adults. This rounded silhouette and bright breast make the robin one of the most instantly recognisable birds in Europe.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/robin): European Robin — wildlife guide.

## Why are robins so territorial?
For a bird with such a friendly public image, the robin is remarkably aggressive. Males, and often females in winter, hold individual territories which they defend vigorously throughout the year. The robin's song is its primary weapon: a clear, fluting, slightly melancholy warble used to advertise ownership and warn off rivals. The orange-red breast is also a signal of dominance, puffed out and displayed during confrontations. When display fails, robins will physically attack intruders, and disputes can occasionally escalate to the point of injury or death, an unusually high cost among small songbirds. This is why a robin reacts so strongly to its own reflection or even to a tuft of red feathers. The same boldness explains the robin's famous tameness around people: in Britain, robins learned to follow large animals, and later gardeners, to snap up insects and worms turned up by digging. What looks like affection is really an opportunistic feeding strategy, with the gardener standing in for the wild boar that once disturbed the soil.

## Is the European robin the same as the American robin?
No, and the difference matters. The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) belongs to the Old World flycatcher family and is a small bird weighing well under 25 grams. The American robin (Turdus migratorius) is a true thrush, in the same genus as the blackbird and song thrush, and is far larger and heavier. The two are not closely related at all; they simply ended up sharing a name because early European settlers in North America saw a red-breasted bird and called it after the robin they knew from home. The resemblance is superficial, limited mainly to the reddish breast. In behaviour, song, size and family they are quite distinct. So when people picture a robin on a snowy branch on a Christmas card, that is the European robin, while the bird hopping across North American lawns pulling up worms in spring is the unrelated American robin.

## WARN work
WARN does not run any field project specifically for the European robin, which is a widespread and secure species across Europe and lies outside the countries where WARN's partners work. This guide is part of WARN's free educational work, helping people understand and value the wildlife around them. The pressures robins ultimately share with many less fortunate species, such as habitat loss and the degradation of green spaces, are exactly the kinds of threats that do harm the animals WARN's partners protect.

## Donation hook
If this guide deepened your appreciation of garden birds, you can help WARN keep producing free wildlife education and supporting the animals most in need.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/robin): European Robin — wildlife guide.

## Are male and female robins different colours?
No. Unusually for a brightly coloured bird, male and female European robins look virtually identical, both showing the same orange-red face and breast. You cannot reliably tell the sexes apart by plumage in the field. They behave similarly too, with both sexes holding and defending territories, especially in winter. Behaviour during the breeding season, such as the female being fed by the male, is often the only practical clue to which bird is which.

## Why do robins sing in winter?
Robins sing year-round because both males and females hold individual feeding territories through the winter, not just breeding territories in spring. Song is how they advertise ownership of that patch and warn off rivals. The winter song tends to be quieter and more wistful than the fuller spring song. This habit of singing in the cold and dark, often under street lights, is a big part of why the robin is so strongly linked with British winters and Christmas.

## What do European robins eat?
European robins are mainly insectivorous, feeding on terrestrial invertebrates such as worms, spiders, beetles and other insects, which is why they follow digging gardeners to snatch prey from disturbed soil. In autumn and winter they also take berries, fruit and seeds, and will readily visit bird tables and feeders for suet, mealworms and crumbs. Occasionally they eat small vertebrates or scraps of carrion. This flexible diet helps them survive cold months when insects are scarce.

## How long do robins live?
Most robins live short lives, with high mortality in the first year meaning average life expectancy is only around one year. Those that survive their difficult first winter can live considerably longer, and ringing records include exceptional individuals reaching well over a decade, with one recorded at around 19 years. The combination of predators, harsh winters and the energetic cost of defending territory keeps the typical lifespan low, even though the species as a whole is abundant and secure.

## Are European robins endangered?
No. The European robin is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a very large global population estimated in the hundreds of millions and a broad range across Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It is not CITES-listed and faces no major global threat. Like all wildlife it can be affected by habitat loss, harsh winters and the decline of insect-rich green spaces, but at present its numbers are considered stable and it remains one of the most familiar garden birds in its range.

## Why are robins associated with Christmas?
The robin's link with Christmas is partly natural and partly cultural. Robins are conspicuous in winter, when they keep singing and their red breasts stand out against frost and snow. The cultural link is often traced to Victorian Britain, where postmen delivering Christmas cards wore red uniforms and were nicknamed robins, so the bird began appearing on the cards themselves. The two ideas reinforced each other until the red-breasted robin became a fixed symbol of the festive season.

## Where do european robins live?
European robins live in United Kingdom and Ireland, Continental Europe, North Africa. A European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small Eurasian songbird with a distinctive orange-red face and breast, brown upperparts and a pale belly.

## Are european robins dangerous?
European robins are not generally dangerous to people. A European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small Eurasian songbird with a distinctive orange-red face and breast, brown upperparts and a pale belly. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

## How big is an european robin?
An European robin is about 12.5-14 cm. A European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small Eurasian songbird with a distinctive orange-red face and breast, brown upperparts and a pale belly. Conservation status: Least Concern.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/kestrel): Common Kestrel — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a small falcon of Europe, Asia and Africa, famous for hovering in mid-air to hunt voles, mice and large insects. Reddish-brown above with pointed wings, it can detect ultraviolet light reflected by rodent urine trails. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

## Introduction
The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a small, widespread falcon of Europe, Asia and Africa, best known for hanging motionless in mid-air as it hunts. Hold its head still against a buffeting wind, fan its tail, and it can hover for long stretches above a roadside verge or rough field, scanning the grass below for voles and mice. Once it locks on, it drops in stages onto its prey. Reddish-brown above with a dark-tipped tail, the kestrel is one of the most familiar birds of prey across the British countryside and beyond, often glimpsed beside motorways. Remarkably, it can see ultraviolet light, which helps it find rodents by their urine trails.

## Takeaway
The common kestrel is a small falcon famous for hovering in place while hunting, holding its head perfectly steady against the wind.

## Takeaway
It feeds mainly on small mammals such as voles, mice and shrews, supplemented by insects, small birds and reptiles.

## Takeaway
Kestrels can see near-ultraviolet light, letting them detect the urine trails rodents leave around their burrows.

## Takeaway
The species is widespread across Europe, Asia and Africa and is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

## Takeaway
It is one of the most familiar British birds of prey, often seen hovering above motorway verges and rough grassland.

## Takeaway
Like all falcons, the kestrel is listed under CITES Appendix II, which regulates international trade in the species.

## Why does a kestrel hover?
Hovering is the kestrel's signature hunting technique and the reason for its old country name, the windhover. By facing into the wind and making constant fine adjustments with its wings and fanned tail, the bird holds its head almost perfectly still in the air, typically around 10 to 20 metres above the ground. A steady head means a steady gaze, so the kestrel can scan the grass below for the tiny movements of a vole or mouse without the image blurring. When prey is spotted, it usually drops in stages, pausing at lower heights to reassess before the final plunge with talons outstretched. Hovering is energetically costly, so kestrels also hunt from perches such as fence posts, telegraph poles and roadside wires, especially in colder weather or when there is little wind to ride. The technique is so effective over open, grassy ground that motorway verges, with their long uncut grass and thriving vole populations, have become some of the best places in Britain to watch a kestrel at work.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/kestrel): Common Kestrel — wildlife guide.

## How does a kestrel see ultraviolet vole trails?
Kestrels possess a striking sensory advantage: they can see into the near-ultraviolet part of the spectrum, beyond the range of human vision. Voles and other small rodents scent-mark their runways and burrow entrances with urine and droppings, and these deposits reflect ultraviolet light. To a kestrel's eyes, a well-used vole highway can therefore stand out as a glowing trail against the surrounding vegetation, revealing where prey is concentrated even before an animal appears. This lets the bird judge which patches of grassland are worth the effort of hovering over and which are likely to be empty. Combined with exceptionally sharp overall vision, ultraviolet sensitivity makes the kestrel a highly efficient hunter of cryptic, fast-moving mammals. Vole numbers naturally rise and fall in multi-year cycles, and kestrel breeding success tends to track these fluctuations closely, with more young raised in good vole years. This intimate link between predator and prey is one reason the kestrel is so often used as an indicator of the health of open farmland and grassland habitats.

## What does a kestrel look like and how big is it?
The common kestrel is a slim, long-tailed falcon measuring about 32 to 39 centimetres from bill to tail, with a wingspan of roughly 65 to 82 centimetres. Females are larger than males on average, weighing around 184 grams against the male's 155 grams or so. The sexes also differ in plumage. Males have a blue-grey head and tail, a warm chestnut back spotted with black, and a single black band near the tail tip. Females and young birds are more uniformly reddish-brown above, barred with darker brown, and lack the grey head. In flight the kestrel shows pointed wings and a long tail, and its hovering habit usually identifies it at a glance. Its call is a shrill, repeated kee-kee-kee. The species is widespread and adaptable, breeding from open countryside and moorland to farmland, marshes and the edges of towns and cities, where it will nest on ledges and in old buildings. It does not build a nest of its own, instead using tree holes, cliff ledges, old crow nests or nest boxes.

## WARN work
WARN does not run dedicated field projects for the common kestrel, which across most of its huge range is a widespread and resilient bird far from the countries where WARN's partners work. This guide is part of WARN's free educational work to help people understand and value wildlife. The pressures that locally reduce kestrel numbers, chiefly the loss of rough grassland and the intensification of farming, are the very same habitat threats that endanger many of the animals WARN does protect on the ground.

## Donation hook
If learning about the windhover brought you a moment of wonder, you can pass that on by supporting WARN's free educational work and the animals it protects.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/kestrel): Common Kestrel — wildlife guide.

## Can kestrels really see ultraviolet light?
Yes. Common kestrels can see into the near-ultraviolet range, beyond human vision. Voles mark their trails and burrow entrances with urine and droppings that reflect ultraviolet light, so to a kestrel a busy vole runway can appear as a glowing path through the grass. This helps the bird identify which patches of habitat hold prey before committing to the effort of hovering and hunting there.

## How long do kestrels live?
In the wild many kestrels die young, but those that survive their first year can live for several years, and the biological lifespan can reach about 16 years or more. One exceptionally old ringed individual lived almost 24 years. Survival depends heavily on food supply, particularly the natural multi-year cycles in vole numbers, as well as weather and hazards such as collisions with vehicles.

## Where do kestrels nest?
Kestrels do not build their own nests. Instead they use existing sites such as tree holes, cliff and quarry ledges, the abandoned stick nests of crows and magpies, ledges on buildings and ruins, and purpose-made nest boxes. They readily nest in towns and cities as well as open countryside. The female typically lays three to seven eggs, and breeding success rises and falls with the abundance of vole prey.

## Where do common kestrels live?
Common Kestrels live in Europe, Asia and Africa. A common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a small falcon of Europe, Asia and Africa, famous for hovering in mid-air to hunt voles, mice and large insects. Reddish-brown above with pointed wings, it can detect ultraviolet light reflected by rodent urine trails.

## Are common kestrels dangerous?
Common Kestrels are not generally dangerous to people. A common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a small falcon of Europe, Asia and Africa, famous for hovering in mid-air to hunt voles, mice and large insects. Reddish-brown above with pointed wings, it can detect ultraviolet light reflected by rodent urine trails. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

## How big is a common kestrel?
A Common Kestrel is about 32-39 cm. A common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a small falcon of Europe, Asia and Africa, famous for hovering in mid-air to hunt voles, mice and large insects. Conservation status: Least Concern.

## What do kestrels eat?
Kestrels feed mainly on small mammals, especially voles, along with mice and shrews, which make up the bulk of their diet by weight. They also take large insects such as beetles and grasshoppers, earthworms, small birds, lizards and frogs. Diet varies with season and location; insects and worms become more important when small mammals are scarce, particularly for young birds learning to hunt.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/red-kite): Red Kite — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A red kite (Milvus milvus) is a medium-large European bird of prey with rufous-brown plumage, long angled wings and a distinctive deeply forked tail. Mainly a scavenger feeding on carrion, it is famous in Britain for its dramatic recovery from near-extinction through legal protection and reintroduction.

## Introduction
The red kite (Milvus milvus) is a graceful, medium-large bird of prey instantly recognised by its deeply forked, twisting tail and warm rufous-brown plumage. A buoyant, agile flier, it soars on long, angled wings, riding thermals as it searches for food. Red kites are mainly scavengers, gliding low over fields, woodland edges and roadsides in search of carrion, alongside small mammals, birds and earthworms. Almost entirely confined to Europe, the species suffered catastrophic declines from persecution and poisoning, vanishing from much of Britain by the late nineteenth century. Decades of legal protection and reintroduction have since made it one of conservation's great recovery stories, and today red kites are once again a familiar sight over many parts of the UK.

## Takeaway
The red kite is unmistakable in flight, with a long, deeply forked tail it twists like a rudder to steer.

## Takeaway
It is primarily a scavenger, feeding heavily on carrion as well as small mammals, birds and earthworms.

## Takeaway
Almost the entire world population breeds in Europe, with strongholds in Germany, Spain and France.

## Takeaway
By the late 1800s the species was nearly wiped out in Britain, surviving only in remote mid-Wales.

## Takeaway
Legal protection and reintroductions from 1989 onward restored red kites across much of the UK.

## Takeaway
The IUCN now lists the red kite as Least Concern, having previously rated it Near Threatened.

## What does a red kite look like?
The red kite is a striking raptor built for effortless soaring. Adults measure roughly 60-70 cm from bill to tail, with a wingspan of about 175-195 cm, yet weigh only around 0.8-1.3 kg, females being slightly heavier than males. Their plumage is a rich, warm rufous-brown, streaked with darker markings, while the head is paler, often appearing greyish-white. The most diagnostic feature is the long, deeply forked tail, which is reddish above and constantly flexed and twisted in flight to steer. In the air the long, angled wings show a complex pattern: large pale patches near the wingtips contrast with dark 'fingers' and darker secondaries. The eye is amber-yellow and the bill is yellow at the base with a dark, hooked tip. Red kites are far more buoyant and manoeuvrable than buzzards, rocking and tilting as they glide low over open ground. Juveniles are similar but duller, with paler feather edges and a less deeply forked tail. A very small proportion of birds show leucistic, pale or whitish feathering, a rare natural variation.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/red-kite): Red Kite — wildlife guide.

## What do red kites eat and how do they hunt?
Red kites are opportunistic feeders and, above all, scavengers. Carrion forms a large part of their diet, including dead sheep, deer, rabbits and other animals, as well as roadkill, which is one reason they are often seen patrolling motorway verges and field edges. They also take live prey within their power: small mammals such as voles, mice and young rabbits, small or injured birds, amphibians, and large numbers of earthworms, which they gather from freshly turned soil. Unlike fast, powerful hunters such as peregrines, the red kite relies on patient, low, quartering flight, dropping onto food it spots from above rather than pursuing agile prey. This scavenging lifestyle made the species historically valued in medieval towns, where kites helped clear streets of refuse and carrion. The same habits, however, leave red kites highly vulnerable to poisoning, whether from illegal baits laid for predators, secondary poisoning from rodenticides, or contaminated carcasses. In some areas supplementary feeding at dedicated sites now provides reliable food and a chance to see the birds gathering in spectacular numbers.

## Why did red kites nearly disappear, and how did they recover?
For centuries red kites were common and even protected as urban scavengers, but attitudes changed sharply. From the sixteenth century onward they were treated as vermin, persecuted alongside other birds of prey, while egg collecting, habitat loss and later poisoning drove steep declines. By the late nineteenth century the red kite had been wiped out across most of Britain, clinging on only in the remote wooded valleys of mid-Wales, where at one point just a handful of pairs survived. This tiny Welsh population became one of the longest-running protection efforts in the world. The major turnaround came with reintroduction: from 1989 birds from continental Europe and Wales were released at sites in England and Scotland, supported by strong legal protection against killing and poisoning. The reintroduced birds thrived, spreading widely and breeding successfully, so that red kites are now a familiar sight over the Chilterns and many other regions. Globally the species' recovery, helped by protection across Europe, led the IUCN to downgrade its status from Near Threatened to Least Concern.

## WARN work
WARN does not run field projects specifically for red kites, which live almost entirely in Europe, outside the countries where our partners work. This guide is part of our free educational mission to help people understand and value wildlife. The threats behind the red kite's historic decline, persecution, poisoning and habitat loss, are the same pressures that endanger raptors and scavengers in the regions WARN does protect, where vultures and other birds of prey face poisoning and shrinking habitat.

## Donation hook
If the red kite's comeback inspires you, your support helps us keep producing free wildlife education and protect at-risk animals in the countries where we work.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/red-kite): Red Kite — wildlife guide.

## Are red kites birds of prey?
Yes. The red kite is a true bird of prey (a raptor) in the hawk and eagle family, Accipitridae. Like other raptors it has keen eyesight, a hooked bill and sharp talons. However, it is mainly a scavenger rather than an active hunter, feeding heavily on carrion as well as small mammals, birds and earthworms.

## Are red kites dangerous to humans or pets?
No. Red kites pose virtually no threat to people. They are primarily scavengers and take relatively small live prey such as voles, mice and earthworms. They are far too small and lightly built to harm a person, and healthy adult cats or dogs are not prey. Problems usually arise only where people feed kites by hand, encouraging them to approach gardens.

## What is the difference between a red kite and a buzzard?
Both are common raptors but look quite different in flight. The red kite is slimmer, with longer, more angled wings, a rufous body and an unmistakable long, deeply forked tail it constantly twists. The common buzzard is bulkier, with broader, rounder wings and a short, fan-shaped tail. Buzzards soar in steady circles, while kites glide and rock with greater agility.

## Where do red kites live?
Red kites are found almost entirely in Europe, where nearly the whole world population breeds. Strongholds include Germany, Spain, France and, increasingly, the United Kingdom. They favour a mix of open countryside for feeding and mature woodland or scattered trees for nesting. Following reintroductions, they are now widespread across parts of England, Wales and Scotland.

## How big is a red kite?
A red kite is a medium-large raptor. It measures roughly 60-70 cm from bill to tail and has a wingspan of about 175-195 cm, close to 1.8 metres. Despite this large wing area, it is lightly built, weighing only around 0.8-1.3 kg. Females are usually slightly larger and heavier than males, as in many birds of prey.

## Why are red kites a conservation success story?
Red kites were nearly wiped out in Britain by the late 1800s, surviving only in remote mid-Wales. Through long-term legal protection and reintroduction programmes begun in 1989, the birds were successfully re-established across much of the UK. Recovery across Europe led the IUCN to move the species from Near Threatened to Least Concern, making it a celebrated example of effective conservation.

## What do red kites eat?
Red Kites eat Mainly carrion; also small mammals, birds, earthworms. A red kite (Milvus milvus) is a medium-large European bird of prey with rufous-brown plumage, long angled wings and a distinctive deeply forked tail.

## How long do red kites live?
A precise wild lifespan for red kites is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. A red kite (Milvus milvus) is a medium-large European bird of prey with rufous-brown plumage, long angled wings and a distinctive deeply forked tail. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/magpie): Magpie — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A magpie is a large black-and-white bird in the crow family (Corvidae). The Eurasian magpie, Pica pica, is famous for its long iridescent tail, loud chattering call and exceptional intelligence — it is one of the few non-mammals known to recognise itself in a mirror.

## Introduction
The Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) is a large, unmistakable member of the crow family, instantly recognised by its bold black-and-white plumage and long, iridescent tail that shimmers green and blue in sunlight. Found across Europe, much of temperate Asia and North Africa, it thrives in farmland, woodland edges, parks and towns. Magpies are among the most intelligent of all animals: they store food, solve problems, and are one of the very few non-mammal species shown to pass the mirror self-recognition test. In British folklore they carry the old rhyme "one for sorrow", yet their adaptability and sharp wits have made them a familiar and successful bird almost everywhere people live.

## Takeaway
The Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) is a corvid — a member of the crow and jay family — not a bird of prey.

## Takeaway
It is one of only a handful of non-mammal species shown to recognise itself in a mirror, a marker of self-awareness.

## Takeaway
Its long tail makes up more than half its total body length and gleams iridescent green and blue.

## Takeaway
Magpies are highly adaptable omnivores, eating insects, seeds, fruit, scraps and occasionally eggs or nestlings.

## Takeaway
The IUCN lists the Eurasian magpie as Least Concern, with a large and stable global population.

## Takeaway
In British folklore the magpie features in the counting rhyme 'one for sorrow, two for joy'.

## What does a magpie look like?
The Eurasian magpie is a striking, pied corvid measuring 44-46 cm from beak to tail tip, with a wingspan of roughly 52-62 cm. At a glance it appears simply black and white, but in good light the black areas glow with an iridescent sheen of green, blue and purple, especially across the long, wedge-shaped tail that accounts for more than half the bird's length. The shoulders and belly are clean white, the wings show a flash of blue-green, and the stout black bill and legs complete the look. Males and females are alike, though males average slightly larger. In flight the magpie reveals broad white wing patches and a trailing tail, alternating bursts of flapping with short glides. Its voice is just as distinctive: a harsh, rattling, machine-gun-like 'chacker-chacker' chatter that often signals alarm or announces the bird long before it is seen. Juveniles resemble adults but have shorter tails and duller plumage in their first months.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/magpie): Magpie — wildlife guide.

## How intelligent are magpies?
Magpies are among the most intelligent animals on Earth. Like other corvids, they have a brain that is large relative to body size, and they show problem-solving, planning and excellent memory — they can cache food in hundreds of locations and recover it later. Most remarkably, the Eurasian magpie is one of the very few non-mammal species demonstrated to pass the mirror self-recognition test. In landmark experiments, magpies marked with a coloured spot on the throat — visible only in a mirror — tried to remove the mark from their own bodies, suggesting they recognised the reflection as themselves rather than another bird. This places them in a small club alongside great apes, dolphins and elephants. Magpies also recognise individual human faces, can count to a degree, and have been observed in behaviour that resembles using tools and even apparent 'funeral' gatherings around dead companions. Their curiosity and boldness, sometimes mistaken for thieving 'shiny-object' habits, are really signs of an inquisitive, fast-learning mind.

## Where do magpies live and what do they eat?
Eurasian magpies range right across temperate Europe and Asia, from Britain and Iberia eastward, with populations also in North Africa. They are supremely adaptable, equally at home in open farmland, woodland edges, hedgerows, suburban gardens, parks and city centres — almost anywhere that offers trees or tall shrubs for nesting and open ground for foraging. They do not migrate, holding territories year-round, and outside the breeding season may gather in loose flocks. Magpies are true omnivores. Their diet shifts with the seasons and includes insects and other invertebrates, seeds, grain, berries and fruit, carrion, household scraps and, in spring, the eggs and nestlings of other birds — a habit that draws criticism but has little measurable effect on overall songbird numbers. They build large, domed stick nests, often with a roof, usually high in a tree or tall hedge. A typical European clutch is five or six eggs, incubated by the female while the male provisions her, and pairs frequently stay together across years.

## WARN work
World Animal Rescue Network does not run field projects specifically for the Eurasian magpie, which is a widespread and thriving species well outside the countries where WARN's partners work. This guide is part of WARN's free educational mission: helping people understand and value wildlife. The threats that quietly reshape magpie habitats — hedgerow and woodland loss, intensive land use and shrinking green space — are the same pressures that endanger many of the animals WARN does protect.

## Donation hook
If this guide deepened your appreciation of the natural world, a small gift helps WARN keep protecting the vulnerable animals that need it most.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/magpie): Magpie — wildlife guide.

## Is a magpie a member of the crow family?
Yes. The Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) belongs to Corvidae, the crow and jay family, which also includes ravens, rooks, jackdaws and jays. Corvids are widely regarded as among the most intelligent of all birds, and the magpie's problem-solving, memory and self-recognition abilities place it firmly in that brainy lineage.

## Why do magpies like shiny objects?
The idea that magpies compulsively steal shiny things is largely a myth. Controlled studies found magpies are actually wary of unfamiliar objects, shiny or not. Their reputation comes from natural curiosity — they investigate novel items as part of foraging — rather than any special attraction to glitter. Most of the 'thieving magpie' image is folklore, not biology.

## Can magpies really recognise themselves in a mirror?
Yes. The Eurasian magpie is one of the few non-mammal species shown to pass the mirror self-recognition test. When marked with a coloured spot visible only in a reflection, magpies tried to remove it from their own bodies, suggesting genuine self-awareness. This rare ability is otherwise documented mainly in great apes, dolphins and elephants.

## What does the rhyme 'one for sorrow' mean?
It comes from a traditional British counting rhyme about magpies: 'One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy...' The number of magpies seen was superstitiously linked to good or bad luck. It reflects old folklore rather than any real behaviour of the birds, which are simply social corvids that may be seen alone or in groups.

## How long do magpies live?
In the wild, most magpies live only a few years, with high mortality among young birds. Those that survive their first year can live considerably longer, and ringing records include individuals over twenty years old. The oldest known wild Eurasian magpie in Britain reached about 21 years and 8 months, though such ages are exceptional.

## What do eurasian magpies eat?
Eurasian Magpies eat Omnivore: insects, seeds, fruit, carrion, scraps, eggs. A magpie is a large black-and-white bird in the crow family (Corvidae).

## Where do eurasian magpies live?
Eurasian Magpies live in Europe, temperate Asia, North Africa. A magpie is a large black-and-white bird in the crow family (Corvidae).

## Are eurasian magpies dangerous?
Eurasian Magpies are not generally dangerous to people. A magpie is a large black-and-white bird in the crow family (Corvidae). Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

## How big is an eurasian magpie?
An Eurasian Magpie is about 44-46 cm (tail over half of this). A magpie is a large black-and-white bird in the crow family (Corvidae). Conservation status: Least Concern.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/blue-tit): Blue Tit — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small European songbird with a blue cap and wings, white cheeks and a yellow breast. Weighing about 11 grams, it is a common, acrobatic garden-feeder visitor across Britain, Ireland and much of Europe, and an IUCN Least Concern species.

## Introduction
The Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small, instantly recognisable songbird with a sky-blue cap and wings, white cheeks and a sunshine-yellow breast. Weighing around 11 grams, it is one of the most familiar visitors to garden feeders across Britain, Ireland and much of Europe. Agile and inquisitive, it hangs upside-down from the thinnest twigs to reach insects and seeds, and famously learned to peck open foil milk-bottle tops on doorsteps from the 1920s onwards. Blue tits are cavity-nesters that readily take to nest boxes, raising a single large brood each spring timed to a glut of caterpillars. Though tiny, they are bold, social and easy to watch.

## Takeaway
The blue tit is a small blue-capped, yellow-breasted songbird widespread across Europe and into western Asia and North Africa.

## Takeaway
It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a large and broadly stable European population.

## Takeaway
Agile and acrobatic, it forages upside-down on thin twigs and is a confident visitor to garden feeders.

## Takeaway
Blue tits famously learned to peck open foil milk-bottle tops in Britain, a behaviour recorded from the 1920s.

## Takeaway
They are cavity-nesters that readily use nest boxes, laying unusually large clutches of up to a dozen or more eggs.

## Takeaway
Breeding is finely timed so chicks hatch during the spring peak in caterpillar abundance.

## What does a blue tit look like?
The blue tit is among the most colourful small birds in Europe, and its palette makes it hard to confuse with anything else at a feeder. Adults have a bright blue crown bordered by a white forehead and cheeks, a thin dark line running through the eye, and a dark bib beneath the bill. The back is a soft yellow-green, the wings and tail are blue, and the underparts are a vivid yellow, often with a faint dark stripe down the belly. Males and females look broadly alike, though males tend to show slightly more brilliant blue, which is enhanced by ultraviolet reflectance that birds can see but humans cannot. It is a compact bird, measuring 10.5 to 12 centimetres in length with a wingspan of roughly 17.5 to 20 centimetres, and weighing only about 11 grams. Juveniles are duller and greener, with yellowish rather than white cheeks. The combination of blue cap, white face and yellow breast, together with its small size and restless, acrobatic movements, makes the blue tit one of the easiest garden birds to identify with confidence.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/blue-tit): Blue Tit — wildlife guide.

## Where do blue tits live and what do they eat?
Blue tits are found across most of Europe, extending into parts of western Asia, the Middle East and north-west Africa. They favour deciduous and mixed woodland but adapt readily to parks, hedgerows, orchards and gardens, which is why they are such a familiar presence around homes. Most are resident year-round rather than long-distance migrants, though some northern and eastern birds move in response to harsh winters. Their diet shifts with the seasons. In spring and summer they feed heavily on insects, spiders and other small invertebrates, with caterpillars especially important for feeding nestlings. Outside the breeding season they broaden their menu to include seeds, fruits and nuts, and they are enthusiastic users of garden feeders stocked with sunflower seeds and fat. This adaptability and willingness to exploit human-provided food has helped the species remain abundant. Their boldness around people also produced one of ornithology's most famous learned behaviours: from the 1920s, British blue tits learned to peck through the foil caps of doorstep milk bottles to reach the cream beneath, a habit that appeared to spread through populations before doorstep deliveries declined.

## How do blue tits breed and nest?
Blue tits are cavity-nesters. In the wild they use holes in trees and walls, but they take very readily to garden nest boxes, which has made them a favourite subject for nest-cam watchers. The female builds a cup of moss, grass and other plant material, lining it with hair, wool and feathers. Blue tits lay notably large clutches for their size, typically around seven or eight eggs but sometimes a dozen or more; exceptionally large single-female clutches have been verified in Britain. They usually raise a single brood each year, and the timing is critical: laying is judged so that the hungry chicks hatch to coincide with the spring flush of caterpillars, the key food for growing young. A pair may need to deliver hundreds of caterpillars a day to feed a full brood. This tight link between breeding and caterpillar abundance makes blue tits a useful indicator of how warming springs are shifting the timing of natural events. Most blue tits live only a few years, with high mortality among young birds, although ringing has shown individuals can reach ten years or more.

## WARN work
World Animal Rescue Network does not run field projects specifically for the blue tit, which is a common and widespread species well outside the countries where WARN's partners work partner countries. This guide is part of WARN's free educational work, written to help people understand and value the wildlife around them. The threats that do affect blue tits in places, such as habitat loss, pesticide use that reduces insect food, and the changing timing of seasons, are the same broad pressures that bear down on the more vulnerable animals WARN does work to protect.

## Donation hook
If learning about the blue tit brought you a moment of joy, you might consider supporting the educational and rescue work that helps people protect wildlife everywhere.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/blue-tit): Blue Tit — wildlife guide.

## What is a blue tit?
A blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small European songbird in the tit family, recognised by its blue cap and wings, white cheeks and bright yellow breast. Weighing only about 11 grams, it is one of the most common and acrobatic visitors to garden feeders across Britain, Ireland and much of Europe, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

## What do blue tits eat?
Blue tits eat mainly insects, spiders and other small invertebrates, with caterpillars being especially important for feeding their chicks in spring. Outside the breeding season they also take seeds, nuts and fruit, and they are keen users of garden feeders, particularly those offering sunflower seeds and fat balls. This varied, adaptable diet helps them thrive in gardens and woodland alike.

## Are blue tits and great tits the same bird?
No. Blue tits and great tits are closely related but distinct species. The blue tit is smaller, weighing around 11 grams, with a blue cap and a yellow breast. The great tit is noticeably larger and bolder, with a glossy black head, white cheeks and a black stripe running down its yellow front. Both visit garden feeders and nest in boxes, often together.

## Do blue tits really open milk bottles?
Yes, historically they did. From the 1920s, blue tits in Britain learned to peck through the foil caps of doorstep milk bottles to reach the cream beneath, and the behaviour appeared to spread through local populations. It became one of ornithology's most cited examples of learning in wild birds. The habit faded as doorstep milk deliveries in glass bottles declined.

## How long do blue tits live?
Most blue tits live only a few years, and mortality is high among young birds in their first winter. However, individuals can live much longer: bird-ringing has recorded blue tits reaching around ten years of age in Britain, with the longevity record for the species standing at over eleven years. Survival depends heavily on winter weather and the availability of food.

## Will blue tits use a nest box?
Yes. Blue tits are natural cavity-nesters and take readily to garden nest boxes with a small entrance hole of about 25 millimetres, which excludes larger birds. A female lines the box with moss, hair and feathers and typically lays a large clutch in spring, raising a single brood timed to the seasonal abundance of caterpillars. Nest boxes are a reliable way to attract them.

## Where do eurasian blue tits live?
Eurasian Blue Tits live in United Kingdom and Ireland, Mainland Europe, Western Asia. A blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small European songbird with a blue cap and wings, white cheeks and a yellow breast.

## Are eurasian blue tits dangerous?
Eurasian Blue Tits are not generally dangerous to people. A blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small European songbird with a blue cap and wings, white cheeks and a yellow breast. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

## How big is an eurasian blue tit?
An Eurasian Blue Tit is about 10.5-12 cm. A blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small European songbird with a blue cap and wings, white cheeks and a yellow breast. Conservation status: Least Concern.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/starling): Common Starling — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a stocky, glossy black songbird native to Eurasia and North Africa, famous for vast swirling winter flocks called murmurations and for skilled vocal mimicry. Globally common and rated Least Concern, it has declined sharply in Britain and is UK Red-listed.

## Introduction
The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris), also called the European starling, is a stocky, medium-sized songbird native to Eurasia and North Africa and introduced widely across the world. Up close its dark plumage glitters with an iridescent green and purple sheen, speckled with pale stars in winter. Starlings are famous for two things: dazzling winter "murmurations", in which tens of thousands of birds wheel together in shifting clouds before roosting, and a remarkable gift for mimicry. Although still abundant worldwide and rated Least Concern by the IUCN, the starling has declined steeply in Britain and now sits on the UK Red List of birds of conservation concern.

## Takeaway
The common starling is globally abundant and rated Least Concern by the IUCN, yet has declined by more than 80% in the UK since the 1960s.

## Takeaway
Steep British and north-west European declines have placed it on the UK Red List of birds of conservation concern.

## Takeaway
Winter murmurations can involve hundreds of thousands of birds and occasionally more than a million, wheeling in unison before they roost.

## Takeaway
Starlings are accomplished mimics, weaving copied sounds, including other birds and mechanical noises, into their own warbling songs.

## Takeaway
Native to Eurasia and North Africa, the species was introduced to North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, where it is often considered invasive.

## Takeaway
It is not listed under CITES, as international trade is not a significant threat to the species.

## What does a starling look like and how do you identify it?
The common starling is a compact, short-tailed songbird roughly 19 to 23 centimetres long, with a wingspan of about 31 to 44 centimetres and a weight of around 58 to 101 grams, so a little smaller and dumpier than a blackbird. In flight it shows distinctive triangular, pointed wings and a fast, direct, arrow-like profile. At a distance starlings can look plain black, but in good light the plumage is richly iridescent, glossed with green and purple. Plumage changes with the seasons: in fresh winter feathering, pale buff and white tips create a heavily speckled, star-spangled appearance, while by spring these wear away to leave glossier breeding dress. The bill is a useful clue, turning bright yellow in the breeding season and darker outside it. Adults walk and run busily across lawns rather than hopping, often probing the turf for grubs. Juveniles are a duller greyish-brown and lack the spangling, which can confuse beginners. The voice is a chattering, wheezing medley of whistles, clicks and imitations, frequently delivered from a rooftop or aerial.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/starling): Common Starling — wildlife guide.

## Why do starlings form murmurations?
A murmuration is the swirling, shape-shifting cloud formed by starlings gathering at dusk before they settle to roost, typically in autumn and winter. Flocks may number from a few hundred to tens of thousands of birds, and exceptional gatherings have been estimated in the hundreds of thousands, with the largest figures cited reaching towards a million or more. The birds turn, ripple and condense in near-perfect coordination, with each individual responding to the movements of a handful of its closest neighbours, so that waves of motion sweep across the whole flock. Scientists think murmurations serve several purposes. Massing together offers safety in numbers, making it far harder for a hunting bird of prey such as a peregrine or sparrowhawk to single out one target, an effect sometimes called predator confusion. The gatherings may also help birds share warmth on cold nights and exchange information about good feeding sites. Whatever the precise mix of reasons, the spectacle is one of the natural world's great free shows, drawing watchers to reedbeds, piers and city centres on winter evenings across the starling's range.

## Can starlings really mimic sounds?
Yes. The common starling is one of the natural world's most accomplished vocal mimics. Its song is a long, rambling sequence of whistles, rattles, clicks, gurgles and warbles, and woven through it are imitations of other species and ambient sounds. Wild starlings copy the calls of other birds, and individuals have been recorded reproducing a sound they had apparently heard only once. In settings close to people, captive and urban birds have learned to imitate human-made noises, from car alarms and telephones to fragments of human speech. Males sing most, and a varied, complex song appears to help them attract mates and defend territory, so mimicry may serve as a kind of vocal display of fitness. The starling's talents put it in the company of other gifted avian mimics such as mockingbirds and lyrebirds. This adaptability of voice mirrors the bird's broader behavioural flexibility, which is part of why the species has spread and thrived across so many landscapes, even as it has declined in some of its native heartlands.

## Why is the starling declining if it is so common?
It is a striking paradox: the common starling remains one of the most numerous birds on the planet, yet in parts of its native range it has crashed. In the United Kingdom the breeding population fell by more than 80 percent between 1966 and 2004, a decline severe enough to place the species on the UK Red List of birds of conservation concern. Similar downward trends have been noted in several north-west European countries. The leading suspected cause is agricultural intensification, which has reduced the supply of the soil invertebrates, such as leatherjackets and other grubs, that adult starlings need to feed their chicks. Loss of permanent pasture, changes in farming practice and fewer nesting cavities in modern buildings and tidier landscapes are all thought to play a part. Because the global population is enormous and the bird is abundant where introduced, the IUCN still classifies the species as Least Concern overall. The contrast is a reminder that a healthy world total can mask serious regional losses, and that a familiar garden bird is not necessarily a secure one.

## WARN work
WARN does not run field projects specifically for the common starling, which is abundant across much of its global range and largely lives outside the countries where WARN's partners work partner countries. This guide is part of WARN's free public-education work, helping people understand and value the wildlife around them. The pressures behind the starling's regional decline, especially habitat loss and the disappearance of insect-rich farmland, are the same forces that threaten many of the animals WARN does protect on the ground.

## Donation hook
If guides like this deepen your appreciation of wildlife, a small gift helps WARN keep producing free education and protecting threatened animals where it works.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/starling): Common Starling — wildlife guide.

## Are starlings native to North America?
No. The common starling is native to Eurasia and North Africa. It was introduced to North America when birds were released in New York's Central Park in 1890. From that small founding population the species spread across the continent and is now one of North America's most abundant birds, where it is often regarded as an invasive species that competes with native cavity-nesting birds.

## What is a group of starlings called?
A flying flock of starlings performing its swirling, coordinated aerial display is called a murmuration. The word can also be used more generally for a group of starlings. These gatherings form mainly at dusk in autumn and winter as birds assemble before settling into a communal roost, and they can range from a few hundred birds to flocks numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

## What do starlings eat?
Starlings are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders. In the breeding season they rely heavily on soil invertebrates such as beetle grubs, leatherjackets, spiders and other insects, which they find by probing lawns and pasture. Outside breeding they also take seeds, grains, fruit, berries, nectar and human food scraps. This flexible diet is one reason the species adapts so well to farmland, gardens and towns.

## How long do starlings live?
Most wild common starlings live only a few years, with average lifespans typically around two to three years, as many young birds do not survive their first year. Individuals that make it past this vulnerable stage can live much longer, however, and the maximum recorded age for a wild common starling is nearly 23 years. Birds in captivity may also reach an advanced age.

## Why are starlings declining in the UK?
The UK breeding population fell by more than 80 percent between 1966 and 2004, earning the starling a place on the UK Red List of birds of conservation concern. The decline is linked chiefly to agricultural intensification, which has reduced the soil invertebrates that adults need to feed their chicks. Loss of permanent pasture and fewer nesting cavities are also thought to contribute to the fall.

## Are starlings good or bad for the environment?
It depends on context. Within its native Eurasian range the starling is a natural part of ecosystems and helps control invertebrate pests, yet it is declining and Red-listed in Britain. Where it has been introduced, such as North America and Australia, it can be a problematic invasive species, competing aggressively with native birds for nest holes and sometimes damaging crops, so it is widely managed as a pest there.

## Where do common starlings live?
Common Starlings live in Eurasia and North Africa; introduced worldwide. The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a stocky, glossy black songbird native to Eurasia and North Africa, famous for vast swirling winter flocks called murmurations and for skilled vocal mimicry.

## Are common starlings dangerous?
Common Starlings are not generally dangerous to people. The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a stocky, glossy black songbird native to Eurasia and North Africa, famous for vast swirling winter flocks called murmurations and for skilled vocal mimicry. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

## How big is a common starling?
A Common Starling is about About 19-23 cm. The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a stocky, glossy black songbird native to Eurasia and North Africa, famous for vast swirling winter flocks called murmurations and for skilled vocal mimicry. Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN); UK Red-listed.