Bird ID Comparisons: UK Confusion Species Side by Side

Some British birds are hard to split. Each page below takes one classic confusion pair or group and puts the birds side by side.

Updated 9 October 2026

Pick your pair

• Chiffchaff vs Willow WarblerDark legs and a two-note song against pale legs and a falling cadence.
• Sparrowhawk vs KestrelThe one that hovers against the one that ambushes your feeders.
• Crow vs Rook vs Raven vs JackdawFour black corvids split by face, crown, tail shape and voice.
• Swift vs Swallow vs House MartinFour summer fliers, Sand Martin included, split by rump, tail and throat.
• Buzzard vs Red KiteCheck the tail: forked and red, or short and rounded.
• Marsh Tit vs Willow TitNear identical by sight. The call is what splits them.
• Song Thrush vs Mistle ThrushSmall and warm brown against big, pale and upright.
• Redwing vs FieldfareThe two winter thrushes: small with a cream eye stripe against big with a grey head.
• House Sparrow vs Tree Sparrow vs DunnockGrey crown, chestnut cap with a cheek spot, or a thin bill and a grey head.
• Common Tern vs Arctic TernBill tip, leg length and how much light shows through the wing.
• Mute Swan vs Whooper Swan vs Bewick's SwanOrange bill, long yellow wedge or small rounded yellow patch.

How to use these pages

Start with the quick answer. It gives the one or two marks that settle most sightings. If your bird was silent, distant or seen for a second, read the "Common mistakes" section before you log it. Some of these birds cannot be named on every view, and leaving one unidentified is normal.

Sound splits several of these groups faster than sight. If you can record a few seconds on your phone, run the clip through Sound ID and compare the result with the call descriptions on the page.