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…

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

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

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…

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 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 glossy wading bird is a scarce visitor to the UK, though records have become more common in recent decades.

This distinctive lark is a passage migrant and winter visitor to the UK, most often found along the east coast of Britain.

This small duck is an uncommon winter visitor to the UK, where they're usually found on lakes, reservoirs and gravel pits.