Reddish Vale Country Park

Reed Bunting

The birds on this page are just a very small example of the species that can be found at Reddish Vale Country Park.

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species have been identified worldwide.

Fossil records indicate birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period, around 160 million years ago.

Modern birds are characterised by feathers, a beak with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton. All living species of birds have wings—the now extinct flightless Moa of New Zealand was the only exception. Wings are evolved forelimbs, and most bird species can fly, with some exceptions. Birds also have unique digestive and respiratory systems that are highly adapted for flight.

Some birds, especially corvids (crows and jays) and parrots, are among the most intelligent animal species; a number of bird species have been observed manufacturing and using tools, and many social species exhibit cultural transmission of knowledge across generations.