Bird ID Course: Coastal

How to identify

Smaller than a cormorant, a shag has dark green, shiny plumage, a crest and a narrower bill with a yellow gape.

Did you know?

Shags can dive down to depths of up to 45m to catch fish from near the bottom of the sea. Unlike gannets, they dive from the surface of the sea. They also eat crustaceans and molluscs.

How to identify

A streaky, dark grey-brown bird, the rock pipit has blackish legs. The similar-looking meadow pipit is smaller and has pale, flesh-coloured legs.

Did you know?

The closely related water pipit nests in the Alps and other European mountains and is a rare winter visitor to marshland in southern England.

How to identify

The razorbill is black above and white below, with a short, thick bill that has distinguishing white lines across the end. In winter, razorbills have white faces. The similar-looking guillemot is chocolate-brown in colour, and has a longer and thinner bill.

Did you know?

The razorbill's closest relative was the great auk, which became extinct in the UK in 1840 and was last sighted in 1852 off Newfoundland. It was hunted for meat, feathers, fat and oil, and as it became more scarce, was finally driven to extinction by specimen collectors.