A nationwide vote to elect an official national bird has been opened.

The election sees fierce competition between a shortlist of ten of the country’s favorite avians including the robin, wren and puffin. The poll, being run by ornithologist David Lindo ‘The Urban Birder’, is set to close on May 7, alongside the general election, and has already sparked fierce debate. Is the robin too ordinary? The blackbird too dull? The puffin too exotic? Which is your winner?

Pictures are all from our Flickr groups of the last five years- click each one for more details.

Barn Owl

Angel Wings

The barn owls beautiful, snowy, heart-shaped face is a countryside icon. Seen mostly at dusk these graceful birds faithfully mate for life. Silently swooping in on golden-dappled wings, they hunt in low-light with vision that is twice as light sensitive as humans.

Blackbird

A Blackbird Sings in Upton Country Park CD

The dark thrush’s melodious songs are present in every garden. These beautiful birds mellow song has even inspired a Paul McCartney song. The dark males glossy feathers contrast directly with their golden eye ring and beak.

Blue Tit

Blue tit and bokeh!

This colourful little tit happily chirps while foraging around the garden. During the winter the attractive little birds flock together as they search for food, four or five may be gathering food for a group of twenty or more. They are often the culprits of pecking through the foil of milk bottle tops to steal cream by.

Hen Harrier

Hen Harrier Aflame

This majestic raptor has long been persecuted thanks to its taste for grouse. Estimates suggest only one to three mating pairs remain in England as they have long been illegally killed. David Lindo calls these victimized birds the ‘underdogs’ in this election.

Kingfisher

Kingfisher On The Stour

These bright jewel-like birds live in waterside homes, speedily diving above our waterways on the hunt for small fish, insects and amphibians. The bright glittering colours of the Kingfisher are not the result of pigment but an iridescence in their brown feathers that lights up when hit by the sunlight.

Mute Swan

swans in the wake

The instantly recognizable snowy white bird which by tradition all belong to the Queen, is one of the largest birds capable of flight. Swans mate for life and will even go through a grieving period if their mate is killed.

Puffin

Looking very smart in the sunshine!

These unmistakable birds, with their black and white feathers and large, brightly coloured bills, are known as ‘sea parrots’ or ‘clowns of the sea’. They can be visited at their cliff-face home during the summer months via a boat tour setting out from Poole Quay.

Red Kite

Flight Of A Purbeck Kite

This magnificent raptor gives spectacularly agile aerial displays on a wingspan of nearly two metres. The bird was driven to extinction in England, Scotland and most of Wales by the end of the 1900s. Thanks to a dedicated reintroduction program there are now over 3,000 Red Kites in the UK.

Robin

...he sings to the right!

These little birds are beloved of many gardeners with their cheeky bobs and courageous natures. The little puffed red chests are a now firmly entrenched in Christmas traditions. The Robin was voted as Britain’s favourite bird in the 1960s, will it retain its crown?

 

Wren

With a song in my heart!

Featured on farthing from 1937, this tiny brown bird has a remarkably loud voice. It is the UK’s most common bird with 8.5 million breeding pairs but due their diminutive stature suffer through long, cold winters.

Hear their songs via our playlist here, then to place your vote go to www.votenationalbird.com. Or vote in our poll below....