-
We rudely refer to them as 'sky rats', but pigeons add a touch of the natural world to our busiest metropolisesMark Cocker defends the ungainly pigeon in this weeks column, where he defends Britain's least likable birds.
-
Great black-backed gulls: Hitchcock's villain remains a formidable predator on the big screen and on our coastlines'The Birds' vilified this species of bird on the big screen. They remain instinctively wary and you can almost never get close to one — with good reason, writes Mark Cocker.
-
Why is this British bird sometimes dubbed 'the black death'?In the second instalment of our series on Britain’s most misunderstood birds, the voracious cormorant is in the spotlight.
-
The much unloved, many talented, quick-witted bird that inspired the Cold-War poetry of Poet Laureate Ted HughesIn the first of our new series on ‘unloved birds’, we take a beady-eyed look at the charred black carrion crow, the clever corvid with the coarse voice.
-
Flying high: The birds doing brilliantly in the British Isles right nowRed kites, great spotted woodpeckers and pink-footed geese — these are only a few of the success stories, writes Mark Cocker.
-
Britain's most widespread bird is also the most elusive — spotting it is one of ornithology’s great joysThe long-eared owl breeds from Kent to northern Scotland, but is highly nocturnal.
-
The short-eared owl is a breed apartFluid in flight and perplexingly wide-ranging, the short-eared owl is a singular figure in the family — and a figure of particular terror to the vole
-
The tawny owl makes a compelling case as Britain's best loved bird of preyWhether for its textbook appearance, regional ubiquity or haunting and mellifluous call, it’s no wonder we love this winged hunter.
-
Small but mighty: How can you not love the little owl?What the little owl lacks in stature, it makes up for in fierce character and mythical cachet.
-
Two turtle doves: Why the endearing bird is an animal for all seasons, not just ChristmasThe beautiful, soft-voiced turtle dove is a symbol of courtship and love and must be saved, urges Mark Cocker.
-
The ring ouzel: The mystery behind the common blackbird's feral twinA master of disguise, inexplicably shy and unpredictably wild, the increasingly rare ring ouzel warrants giving any blackbird a second glance.
-
How the acrobatic buzzard survived persecution to become one of Britain's best avian huntersIt may appear lethargic, but no one could argue with the hunting prowess of the common buzzard when it transforms into a surging missile intent on an unsuspecting victim.
-
Marsh Harriers: The wetland-loving bird that defied the odds to reconquer British skiesMark Cocker's first ever sighting of the bird was at Minsmere, Suffolk, in 1976 — and he's never forgotten it.
-
‘Though she be but little, she is fierce’: Everything you didn't know about sparrowhawksScourge of the bird feeder and a master of ‘shock and awe’ assassinations, the sparrowhawk pursues its quarry with such tenacity and unpredictability that it often blindsides its prey.
-
The white-tailed eagle is crafty, controversial and has wings the size of a barn doorA penchant for spring lamb saw the raptor species ruthlessly exterminated, but the beguiling white-tailed eagle — also known as the sea eagle — is now back on our shores.
-
'He unleashed a series of war cries, then intercepted the vole mid-air': There's nothing remotely common about the common kestrelKnown in Orkney as ‘moosie-haak’, kestrels are fierce hunters but have seriously declined and are now an amber-listed species.
-
The red kite is a soaraway success story, having escaped extinction to become a familiar sight in our skies againUnhurried in flight and with a sideline in stolen goods, the handsome red kite is the gentleman thief of the raptor world, writes Mark Cocker.
-
Peregrine falcons went to the edge of extinction in the 1960s — today, there are more of them than at any time since the Middle AgesIn the latest instalment of Mark Cocker's 'Winging it' column, he looks at the peregrine, a bird of prey with astonishing speed and super strength.
-
The golden eagle: One of the Great British public's favourite birds of prey — but devilishly tricky to identifyWe are often so keen to encounter this animal that ambition overrides the accuracy of our observations, writes Mark Cocker.
-
Hen harriers: The 'marvels of evolutionary adaptation' that are 'ballet and theatre and poetry inscribed on air'The hen harrier is one of the most glorious birds of prey in Britain — yet it provokes fierce debate. Mark Cocker unpicks why this breed is among the most controversial of all British birds.
-
Merlins: Britain's smallest bird of prey is a 'swerving, zigzagging, 240mph weighted missile' that's gutsy enough to chase off a golden eagleSize doesn’t matter when it comes to the fighting spirit of the tiny merlin, a fierce parent and favoured hunting accessory of Mary, Queen of Scots.
-
Goshawks: The birds of prey that came back from extinctionBy the late 19th century, the goshawk was indisputably extinct, but their recent restoration to the British isles makes it worth exploring their history. Expert naturalist Mark Cocker tells more about this fascinating bird of prey.
-
Ospreys: The bird that went extinct in Britain for 40 years, and its journey to conservation success storyOnce extinct in these isles, the gargantuan, deep-diving osprey locks onto its piscine prey with a laser-like precision akin to the trajectory of a blunt-tipped missile. Naturalist and author Mark Cocker tells more.
-
'A robin redbreast in a cage puts all Heaven in a rage': Why this charming little bird is the nation's favouriteWe’re more emotionally connected to the robin than any other bird, says Mark Cocker, as he considers why we feel so much affection for this sweet-songed, yet feisty Christmas-card favourite.
