Ring Ouzel
Ring Ouzels are slightly smaller and slimmer than a Blackbird. Males have distinctive black plumage with a pale wing panel and striking white breast band.
Get to know birds of prey with our guide to what you could see in winter.
Advice
Ring Ouzel conservation - Advice for farmers
Ring Ouzels breed on moorland and often use in-bye grassland for feeding.
On this page
Ring ouzels in brief
They winter in Southern Spain and North Africa. The UK range contracted by 44% between 1970 and 2010 and the population is thought to have declined by 71% between 1990 and 2012.
Possible causes of this decline include afforestation, changes in stocking management and grazing regimes, grassland improvement, climate change and problems in the wintering and/or migration areas.
Key points
- Provide heather at least 30cm tall on the steeper slopes and a mosaic of heather and short grass elsewhere.
- Avoid intensive tree planting near nesting and feeding areas.
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Nesting areas need protection from overgrazing and burning.
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In areas of rank vegetation, create a mosaic of heather and grass close to nesting areas by cutting or grazing.
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Avoid drainage and maintain wet flushes as key feeding areas.
What this species needs
Mature heather or bracken on steep rocky slopes for nesting
Ring Ouzels usually nest in mature heather or occasionally under bracken, often on rock ledges or steep slopes.
Short-grazed grassland for feeding
A mosaic of heather, grassland and bracken provides the best condition for Ring Ouzels. During the breeding season, they eat earthworms, leatherjackets, insects and spiders. Moorland berries such as bilberry, crowberry and rowan are important in the late summer and autumn.
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