Sphagnum mosses carpet the ground with colour on our marshes, heaths and moors. They play a vital role in the creation of peat bogs: by storing water in their spongy forms, they prevent the decay…

The elegant little egret was once a rare visitor to our shores, but can now regularly be spotted around the coastline of England and Wales. Look out for its beautiful neck plumes that herald the…

A winter visitor, the well-travelled Bewick's swan is the smallest of our swans. It has more black on its yellow-and-black bill than the whooper swan. Look out for it around Eastern England…

The starling is a familiar garden visitor that has a beautiful purple-and-green sheen to its black feathers. It is famous for its wintry aerial displays - massive flocks can be seen wheeling over…

This dashing diving duck is a winter visitor to the UK's seas, coastal lakes and occasionally inland water bodies.

The large white is a common garden visitor - look out for its brilliant white wings, tipped with black.

This wading bird is mainly a visitor on its spring and autumn migration, though a small number nest in Scotland.

This well-camouflaged wader is a winter visitor to the UK, where it can be seen feeding on wetlands with a distinctive bobbing motion.

This elegant wading bird is a rare visitor to the UK, though occasionally one or two of pairs will nest here.