Statutory guidance
List of birds of conservation concern and woodland birds of conservation concern
Updated 1 January 2026
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2026
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wild-birds-licence-to-kill-or-take-for-conservation-purposes-gl40/list-of-endangered-woodland-birds
You can use general licence GL40 to take action against target bird species, to help conserve birds of conservation concern.
There are 2 lists of birds on this page:
- all birds of conservation concern
- woodland birds of conservation concern - use this list for the control of jay
1. All birds of conservation concern
This is a complete list of birds of conservation concern in England:
- Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea)
- avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
- Baillon’s crake (Zapornia pusilla)
- barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis)
- bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica)
- bearded tit (Panurus biarmicus)
- bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
- Bewick’s swan (Cygnus columbianus)
- bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
- black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix)
- black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
- black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
- black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
- black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa)
- black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
- bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
- brent goose (Branta bernicla)
- bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
- Caspian gull (Larus cachinnans)
- cattle egret (Ardea ibis)
- chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
- chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
- cirl bunting (Emberiza cirlus)
- common gull (Larus canus)
- common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
- common tern (Sterna hirundo)
- corn bunting (Emberiza calandra)
- corncrake (Crex crex)
- crane (Grus grus)
- cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
- curlew (Numenius arquata)
- Dartford warbler (Curruca undatae)
- dipper (Cinclus cinclus)
- dotterel (Charadrius morinellus)
- dunlin (Calidris alpina)
- dunnock (Prunella modularis)
- eider (Somateria mollissima)
- fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
- fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)
- gannet (Morus bassanus)
- garden warbler (Sylvia borin)
- garganey (Spatula querquedula)
- glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus)
- glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
- golden oriole (Oriolus oriolus)
- grasshopper warbler (Locustella naevia)
- great black-backed gull (Larus marinus)
- great bustard (Otis tarda)
- great white egret (Ardea alba)
- green sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
- greenfinch (Chloris chloris)
- greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
- grey partridge (Perdix perdix)
- grey plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
- grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
- greylag goose (Anser anser)
- guillemot (Uria aalge*)
- hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
- hen harrier (Circus cyaneus)
- herring gull (Larus argentatus)
- honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus)
- house martin (Delichon urbicum)
- house sparrow (Passer domesticus)
- Iceland gull (Larus glaucoides)
- kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
- kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
- knot (Calidris canutus)
- Lapland bunting (Calcarius lapponicus)
- lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
- lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus*)
- lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor)
- linnet (Linaria cannabina)
- little bittern (Botaurus minutus (formerly Ixobrychus minutus))
- little ringed plover (Thinornis dubius (formerly Charadrius dubius))
- little tern (Sternula albifrons)
- long-eared owl (Asio otus)
- mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
- marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
- marsh tit (Poecile palustris)
- marsh warbler (Acrocephalus palustris)
- meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis)
- Mediterranean gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus)
- merlin (Falco columbarius)
- mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
- Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus)
- moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
- nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)
- nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)
- osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
- oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)
- pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)
- pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus)
- pintail (Anas acuta)
- pochard (Aythya ferina)
- puffin (Fratercula arctica)
- purple heron (Ardea purpurea)
- purple sandpiper (Calidris maritima)
- quail (Coturnix coturnix)
- razorbill (Alca torda)
- red grouse (Lagopus scotica)
- red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio)
- red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator)
- redpoll (Acanthis flammea)
- redshank (Tringa totanus)
- redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
- redwing (Turdus iliacus)
- reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)
- ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus)
- ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
- roseate tern (Sterna dougallii)
- ruff (Calidris pugnax)
- sanderling (Calidris alba)
- sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
- Savi’s warbler (Locustella luscinioides)
- sedge warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)
- shag (Gulosus aristotelis (formerly Phalacrocorax aristotelis))
- shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
- shore lark (Eremophila alpestris)
- short-eared owl (Asio flammeus)
- skylark (Alauda arvensis)
- snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
- snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)
- song thrush (Turdus philomelos)
- sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
- spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
- spotted crake (Porzana porzana)
- spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
- spotted redshank (Tringa erythropus)
- starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
- stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)
- swift (Apus apus)
- taiga bean goose (Anser fabalis)
- tawny owl (Strix aluco)
- tree pipit (Anthus trivialis)
- tree sparrow (Passer montanus)
- turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
- turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur)
- twite (Linaria flavirostris)
- water pipit (Anthus spinoletta)
- wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)
- whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
- whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)
- white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons)
- white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
- whitethroat (Curruca communis)
- whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus)
- wigeon (Mareca penelope)
- willow tit (Poecile montanus)
- willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
- wood sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
- wood warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix)
- woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)
- wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
- yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava)
- yellow-browed warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus)
- yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
- yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis)
2. Woodland birds of conservation concern
You must not kill or take jay under this licence unless it is to protect woodland birds of conservation concern.
The following are woodland birds of conservation concern:
- bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
- dunnock (Prunella modularis)
- fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
- golden oriole (Oriolus oriolus)
- hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
- honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus)
- lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor)
- marsh tit (Poecile palustris)
- nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)
- pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)
- redpoll (Acanthis flammea)
- redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
- song thrush (Turdus philomelos)
- sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
- spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
- tawny owl (Strix aluco)
- tree pipit (Anthus trivialis)
- willow tit (Poecile montanus)
- willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
- wood warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix)
- woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)