Start with height
Is the bird feeding on the ground, moving through shrubs or calling from the canopy?
British Bird Habitats
Coast
Discover the birds associated with this habitat and the field clues that help you identify them.
Explore 4 bird profilesWhere to look
Habitats reveal the birds most likely to be nearby
Gardens, woodland edges, parks and hedgerows create varied feeding and nesting opportunities. Watch the tree canopy, dense cover, open lawns and quieter edges: different birds use each layer in different ways.
Use the profiles below to compare the species recorded in this habitat, then open a field guide for detailed markings, seasonal notes and similar birds.
Field observations
What to notice while you watch
Watch movement
Short hops, climbing, hovering and rapid flights can be more useful than colour alone.
Return through the year
The species mix changes with nesting, migration, food availability and winter weather.
Bird profiles
Birds found in Coast
Sea Bird
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialis The Fulmar is a distinctive seabird known for its stiff-winged gliding flight and tube-nosed bill, commonly seen soaring…
Open field guide →
Sea Bird
Great black-backed gull
Larus marinus The Great black-backed gull is the UK's largest gull, notable for its striking black back and wings, robust…
Open field guide →
Coastal Bird
Little tern
Sternula albifrons The Little tern is the UK’s smallest tern: a fast, buoyant seabird of sandy beaches and shingle spits,…
Open field guide →
Coastal Bird
Roseate tern
Sterna dougallii The Roseate tern is a slender, elegant seabird known for its pale pinkish-white plumage and graceful flight, often…
Open field guide →