BTO surveys unusual birds
You can help to identify birds with unusual plumage, a phenomenon the British Trust for Ornithology is investigating


Birds with unexpected colouring-blackbirds or jackdaws with white patches, blue tits with black heads and goldfinches with orange faces-may be more common than we think. ‘More than 35 species are known to exhibit unusual plumage, and most of them are common garden birds, such as blackbirds and house sparrows, plus some seasonal visitors such as bramblings and swallows, as well as goldcrests, buzzards and even moorhens,' explains Tim Harrison of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), which is conducting a survey into the phenomenon.
* Country Life New Year subscriptions sale
It's thought that plumage abnormality may be more serious than just an oddity; it could give the wrong signals to a potential mate or make the bird more obvious to predators. Feathers with reduced pigment are often less robust and wear more rapidly, reducing flight efficiency and insulation. Despite reports of abnormal birds being loners, even ‘bullied' by other birds, there are equal numbers of reports of abnormal individuals being more aggressive or dominant. To participate in the Abnormal Plumage Survey, visit www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys.
* Follow Country Life magazine on Twitter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by His Majesty The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
'Just look at those stairs. Just as an art form, they are bewitching, like the shell of a nautilus': The lure of buying a stairway to heaven
It seems like madness to buy a house purely because you fall in love with the staircase — but sometimes, they are simply so beautiful that it's impossible to resist. Toby Keel takes a look at some glorious examples of staircases we've seen in Country Life in the last couple of years.
-
'I found myself in a magical world of a sun-dappled forest, speckled with wild flowers of kaleidoscopic colours and brilliant mosses': Solo walking in the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees reserves its best treasures for walkers prepared to venture off the well-beaten trail, says Teresa Levonian Cole, on a solo holiday in Ribes de Freser.