My Garden Visitors Trivia Quiz

Answer: Starling

This is an adult starling - the young have brown feathers. Although the starling's feathers look black, with white flecks, they actually have iridescent shades of purple and green when seen close up. Large flocks of starlings get together in the evenings, as they look for places to roost, producing spectacular formations in the twilight sky.

Answer: Cyanistes caeruleus

The blue tit is an all year resident in the UK, and is also known by the name Parus caeruleus. I have used the version from the RSPB website. All the names listed belong to the tit family, and have been seen in my garden at different times. Parus major, as its name implies, is the great tit - the largest member of the family. Perparus ater is the coal tit and Aegithalos caudatus is the long tailed tit, with its tail being longer than its body.

Answer: Blackbird

The female blackbird is brown, with a flecked breast, while the male has completely black plumage. In addition, the male's beak is yellow and he also has a yellow ring around the eyes. The blackbird is one of the most common birds in the UK and possesses one of the best songs. Blackbirds are members of the thrush family, but thrushes have much lighter colouring, especially on the breast feathers.

Answer: Nuthatch

The nuthatch is about the same size as a great tit, and has a very noticeable stripe running across its eye. Its normal diet is insects, nuts and seeds, and I have seen them take sunflower hearts in my garden. On tree trunks, they travel downwards and can be hard to spot as their colouring blends with the background.

Answer: Twentieth

Surprisingly, since they seem to be everywhere these days, collared doves arrived in the UK only in the 1950s, having originated in the Middle East. They have a pinkish grey plumage, with their name coming from the black feathers around the neck.

Answer: Dunnock

Although the dunnock looks similar to a sparrow, its beak is much longer and sharper than that of the house sparrow. It feeds on seeds, insects and worms, and lives in the UK all year around. The linnet also has brown plumage, but the male has a distinctive reddish breast.

The goldcrest is Britain's smaller bird, and has a yellow stripe on its head from which it gets its name. The pied wagtail is black and white, as its name implies.

Answer: Chaffinch

The male chaffinch has a range of colours, which can include red, orange, yellow, pink and purple. The female is drab in comparison, being mainly brown with some grey and green. Both male and female have distinctive white feathers in their wings, which are most noticeable in flight. The other finches are also British residents, but less numerous than the chaffinch.

Answer: Mud

The house martin is a member of the swallow family, and has a forked tail, although this is much shorter than that of the swallow. The house martin arrives in the UK in April and departs again in the autumn to spend the winter in Africa. The bird spends most of its time in the air, catching insects, and comes to the ground only to collect the mud it needs to build its nest.

The nests are built on buildings, attached to the walls and eaves.

Answer: Troglodytes troglodytes

The wren is another small bird, although the goldcrest is even smaller. It has brown feathers, with a white stripe above the eye, and eats insects. Its scientific name is often quoted as being ironic, being such a long name for a small bird. Fringilla montifringilla is the brambling and Corvus corax is the raven. Fratercula arctica is the puffin - sadly, I've never seen one of those in my back garden.

Answer: Finch

This is the stunning goldfinch, which has some of the most attractive plumage you are likely to see. It has a red face, black tail decorated with white spots and yellow flashes on its wings, which give it its name. They are mainly seed eaters, and are especially fond of nyjer seeds which bring them to my garden regularly.

They often gather in flocks of several birds, which can be one of the most delightful sights in nature.