Birds of the Seashore

Certain birds visit coasts to feed on the rich bounty of marine life found here, with the species usually varying from season to season. A small selection of birds that might be seen on the seashore is featured on the following pages.

Brent Goose (Branta bernicla) Small black goose that spends the winter on British coasts. Feeds on inter-tidal eelgrass and other vegetation. Light-bellied race (B. b. hrota) occurs on the west coast of Britain and in Ireland, Dark-bellied (B. b. bernicla) in the east and south.

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) Inhabits estuaries, sandy shores and salt marshes. Breeds mainly on coasts. Feeds chiefly on tiny molluscs like Laver Spire Shells, which are caught by sweeping with a side-to-side beak movement of the flattened bill.

Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) Present all year on coasts. Nests in colonies, usually on rocks on coasts. On land displays characteristic ‘heraldic’ pose with wings held out; swims low in the water. Feeds almost exclusively on fishes, catching them by diving.

Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) Found on the sea and in rocky coastal areas. More common in north and Scotland and Ireland, where it breeds, than in southern Britain. Dives for crustaceans and molluscs.

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) Common year round in all kinds of habitats near water, including the seashore. Nests in colonies, usually in tall trees, in huge nests. Feeds on fishes, amphibians, small mammals, insects and reptiles.

Bill Adaptations

Many wading birds have specially adapted bills that help them extract food from sand or mud. Plovers (1) have large eyes and feed by making short sprints ended with a peck, enabling them to reach small crustaceans and worms (4) on which they feed. Redshanks (2) also hunt by sight, and have medium-length bills with which they can probe the mud and reach small invertebrates and worms (4, 5). Curlews (3) use their long curved bill to reach deep into sand and mud to extract molluscs (6), lugworms and ragworms (7).

Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) Large wader with distinctive bold black-and-white plumage and bright orange bill. Resident in Britain, and also a passage migrant and winter visitor. Nests on the ground. Feeds on cockles and mussels, which it opens by hammering and prising with its bill.

Sanderling (Calidris alba) Breeds further north than Britain, where it is a passage migrant and winter visitor confined to coasts. Runs along the water’s edge in a characteristic fashion, in and out among the waves, picking up small molluscs, worms and shrimps.

Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) Common shore bird that breeds on beaches and mudflats. Nests in a shallow scrape on the ground. Mainly eats insects, worms and molluscs. One of several plover species found in Britain.

Dunlin (Calidris alpina) Summer visitor or resident occurring on seashores, mudflats, creeks and estuaries, as well as visiting inland waters. Nests in a grassy cup well hidden on the ground. Feeds on small invertebrates such as molluscs and worms.

Redshank (Tringa totanus) Grey-brown wader with a characteristic red bill and legs. Winters on coasts, especially in estuaries and on mudflats. Breeds both near coasts and inland. Feeds principally on invertebrates.

Curlew (Numenius arquata) Largest wader, with a very long decurved bill. Resident in Britain. Breeds on wet meadows and moors; winters on coasts. Eats mainly small invertebrates, fishes and plant matter.

Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) Boldly marked wader that breeds along coasts and stony tundra. Winters on rocky coasts and breakwaters from Britain to the Mediterranean. Diet is mainly insects, molluscs and crustaceans, which it finds by using its bill to overturn pebbles and pieces of algae.

Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) Common on coasts in winter, and in other locations, across northern Europe. Breeds in colonies. Feeds on invertebrates and seeds, as well as scavenging in rubbish.

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) Abundant on coast, and common inland in winter. Nest a bulky mound of flotsam and grass. Diet includes fishes, crustaceans, carrion and birds. Similar Common Gull (L. canus) is smaller and has yellow-green legs.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) Found on coasts and sea; may breed on inland fresh waters. Eats almost anything, including fishes, small mammals, birds and their eggs, and carrion. Greater Black-backed Gull (L. marinus) is much larger, with similar plumage colours.

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis) Britain’s largest tern. Breeds in enormous colonies in shingle and sand coastal locations in northern Europe, wintering further south. Eats fishes and other marine invertebrates.

Common Tern

(Sterna hirundo) A summer visitor to Britain that comes to breed on shingle beaches and rocky islands. Like all terns, it flies gracefully and feeds on fishes.

Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)

Breeds in colonies along northern European coasts, nesting in a shallow scrape in sand or grass. Winters in the south. Feeds on fishes, crustaceans, molluscs and insects.