BTO Bird ID videos - Wetland species

The BTO produce video guides for identifying species that might be confused, or are regularly seen in the same habitat. The following are recent guides that feature wetland species. Catch up on other available Bird ID videos.

Identifying Ruff

By learning how to recognise Ruff in their various guises through this video, you’ll be able to pick them out with confidence.

Ruff. Photograph by Ed Drewitt

Identifying Common & Herring Gull

Build up your gull ID skills by learning to recognise two ideal reference species: Common Gull and Herring Gull.

Herring Gull. Photograph by Edmund Fellowes

Identifying Mandarin and Wood Duck

Despite being non-native, these stunningly beautiful birds are commonly encountered and can cause confusion.

Mandarin Duck. Photograph by Neil Calbrade

Identifying Garganey and Teal

This video helps you pick out Garganey from the more common Teal.

Teal. Photograph by Edmund Fellowes

Identifying Coot and Moorhen

Have you ever struggled to tell the difference between Moorhen and Coot? Often found together they can cause ID headaches, especially when young birds are encountered.

Coot. Photograph by Sarah Kelman

Identifying Petrels

Storm Petrel and Leach's Petrel are actually very common breeding birds and frequently encountered off our shores during passage. How can we tell the two species apart?

Storm Petrel. Photograph by Joe Pender

Identifying diving ducks

Let this workshop help you to decide which diving duck you are seeing.

Tufted Duck by Edwyn Anderton

Identifying Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit

Godwits are large, elegant waders and relatively common in the right habitats at certain times of year. This workshop will help you to confidently identify both species.

Bar-tailed Godwit. Photograph by Tom Wallis

Identifying female dabbling ducks

Ducks are usually easy to identify, but the females can be more challenging. This workshop will help you tell them apart with confidence.

Mallard. Photograph by John Harding

Identifying Ringed Plovers

A handsome little wader, runs along in front of you. Is this a Ringed Plover, or its less common cousin the Little Ringed Plover?

Ringed Plover. Photograph by Edmund Fellowes

Identifying small breeding Grebes

Small grebes in summer are gloriously-coloured birds, but two of the three species are unfamiliar to most. Let us help you separate these beautiful birds.

Black-necked Grebe. Photograph by Graham Catley

Identifying winter swans

Every winter thousands of Whooper Swans from Iceland and Bewick’s Swans from Arctic Russia migrate into UK and Ireland to spend the winter here.

Whooper Swan. Photograph by Jill Pakenham

Identifying Cattle Egret

A white heron in the UK is likely to be a Little or Great White Egret, but occasionally Cattle Egrets turn up.

Cattle Egret

Identifying Cormorant and Shag

A black, reptilian-looking bird swims by low to the water - but is it a Cormorant or a Shag?

Identifying adult black-backed gulls

On paper Lesser and Great Black-backed Gulls are straightforward to separate but, in reality, many of us struggle.

Identifying winter Auks

In Autumn and winter we tend to see Auks flying rapidly past or bobbing around in heavy seas offering poor views. Without their distinctive breeding plumage and colouring, winter Auks can be a serious challenge to identify.

Identifying Scoters

Scoters are known to most of us as winter visitors, usually far off shore. Learn to tell the difference between the species, when seen far out to sea in poor viewing conditions?

Identifying Sanderling and Curlew Sandpiper

The key to differing between many small, plump waders is to become accustomed with Dunlin first. In this video we compare Sanderling and Curlew Sandpiper to their more well-recognised cousin.

Identifying small black-headed gulls

A hooded gull in summer is likely to be the ubiquitous Black-headed Gull, but there are a couple of other species that sport the same summer finery.

Identifying Grey Plover and Golden Plover

Can you tell the silver from the gold? Golden Plover is a beautiful medium-sized wader. Its cousin, Grey Plover, can be found around our coasts in most months of the year, causing a potential ID challenge.

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