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The name of this aggressive bird is the subject of one of our questions.

British Birds - Auks, Avocets, Cranes and Skuas

Meet some brilliant British birds, from cliff-dwelling auks to elegant avocets. This quiz helps you spot key features, habitats, and behaviours.

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Fascinating Fact:

Puffins use burrows for nesting, while guillemots often nest on narrow cliff ledges.

In Specialist Nature, bird ID is about noticing clues, like shape, colour, call, habitat and behaviour. This quiz looks at auks, avocets, cranes and skuas, from rocky coasts to wetlands and open skies.

Key Terms

Plumage: The feathers of a bird, including their colours and patterns.
Wader: A bird that feeds by walking in shallow water or mud, often with long legs.
Seabird: A bird that spends much of its life at sea and usually comes to land to breed.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is an auk bird in the UK?

An auk is a seabird found around UK coasts, such as puffins, guillemots and razorbills. They are strong swimmers and often have short wings for “flying” underwater.

How do you identify an avocet?

An avocet is a black-and-white wading bird with very long legs and a thin bill that curves upwards. In the UK, it is often seen in coastal lagoons and shallow wetlands.

Why are skuas called pirate birds?

Skuas are sometimes called pirate birds because they often chase other seabirds and steal their food in mid-air. They are fast, bold fliers that use speed and intimidation to survive.

Try These Related Quizzes

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

1 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of M.Buschmann

Avocet

Common Crane

Common Guillemot

Great Skua

Group: Auks
Binomial: Uria aalge
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Status: Breeding Summer Visitor And Resident Species
Typically dive to depths of 30–60 m and depths of up to 180 m have been recorded.
Both male and female become flightless for 1-2 months after breeding.

2 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Henrik Thorburn

Avocet

Common Guillemot

Black Guillemot

Atlantic Puffin

Group: Auks
Binomial: Cepphus grylle
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Status: Resident Localised Breeding Species
It comes to land only to nest, spending the rest of its life at sea, where it is vulnerable to oil spills.
It is sometimes seen inshore after gales or passing by longer headlands.

3 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://www.photo-natur.de/

Common Crane

Long-tailed Skua

Common Guillemot

Atlantic Puffin

Group: Auks
Binomial: Fratercula arctica
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Status: Breeding Summer Visitor
Used as a symbol for books and other items, this clown among seabirds is one of the world's favourite birds.
Typically silent at sea, except for soft purring sounds it sometimes makes in flight.

4 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Jerzy Strzelecki

Long-tailed Skua

Atlantic Puffin

Pomarine Skua

Common Crane

Group: Skuas
Binomial: Stercorarius longicaudus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Stercorariidae
Status: Passage Migrant
Good numbers of birds spend the winter off west African coasts.
Onshore winds and rough weather further out to sea are the best conditions for bringing them to our coasts.

5 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Steve Garvie

Great Skua

Avocet

Black Guillemot

Common Crane

Group: Cranes
Binomial: Grus grus
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Gruidae
Status: Resident Breeding Species And Passage Migrant
An Act of Parliament of 1533 included a measure that made the taking of this bird's eggs an offence.
A scarce spring and autumn migrant to Britain.

6 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Per Harald Olsen

Avocet

Pomarine Skua

Arctic Skua

Razorbill

Group: Skuas
Binomial: Stercorarius parasiticus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Stercorariidae
Status: Passage Migrant And Localised Summer Breeder
Often seen flying low and fast above the waves in pursuit of a tern or other bird.
Comes to land only to breed and is aggressive towards intruders.

7 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://www.photo-natur.de/

Long-tailed Skua

Pomarine Skua

Avocet

Atlantic Puffin

Group: Avocets and Stilts
Binomial: Recurvirostra avosetta
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Recurvirostridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
Distinctively-patterned black and white wader with a long up-curved beak.
Its return in the 1940s and subsequent increase in numbers represents one of the most successful conservation and protection projects.

8 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Erik Christensen

Avocet

Great Skua

Atlantic Puffin

Arctic Skua

Group: Skuas
Binomial: Stercorarius skua
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Stercorariidae
Status: Passage Migrant And Localised Summer Breeder
An aggressive pirate of the seas.
Deliberately harrasses birds as large as gannets to steal a free meal.
Breeds on coastal moorland and rocky islands.

9 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Jessica

Razorbill

Great Skua

Avocet

Pomarine Skua

Group: Auks
Binomial: Alca torda
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Status: Breeding Summer Visitor And Resident Species
Fishing nets, pollution and declining fish stocks all threaten the bird.
Though the average lifespan is roughly 13 years, a bird ringed in the UK in 1967 survived for at least 41 years.

10 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Patrick Coin

Common Guillemot

Black Guillemot

Long-tailed Skua

Pomarine Skua

Group: Skuas
Binomial: Stercorarius pomarinus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Stercorariidae
Status: Passage Migrant
Only the White-tailed Eagle and the Golden Eagle are known to take healthy adults.
Will fly at the head of a human or other intruder approaching its nest.
Nests on Arctic tundra and islands.

This quiz was kindly sponsored by gardenature – a great place to go to buy bird box cameras and other fascinating bird-watching products.

Author: Sarah Garratty

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