| Bird name |
Song |
Notes |
Page in the Observer's Book of Birds |
Original illustration from Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Islands |
| Blackbird |
Blackbird
The Beatles – The White Album (1968)
Oo You
Paul McCartney – McCartney (1970)
|
|
 |
 |
| Great tit |
Girl
The Beatles – Rubber Soul (1965) |
(backing vocals "tit, tit, tit, tit, tit, tit, tit, tit") |
 |
 |
| Long tailed duck |
Long Tailed Winter Bird
Paul McCartney – McCartney III (2020) |
Mentioned by Paul. |
 |
 |
| Magpie |
Footprints
Paul McCartney – Press to Play (1986)
Two Magpies
The Fireman – Electric Arguments (2008)
|
|
 |
 |
| Manx shearwater |
3 Legs
Paul and Linda McCartney – Ram (1971) |
Manx means "from the Isle of Man" and this is their flag. |
 |
 |
| Osprey |
Tommy's Coming Home
Paul McCartney & Elvis Costello – Flowers in the Dirt demo (1988) |
The song mentions a "hawk" |
 |
 |
| Skylark |
Mama's Little Girl
Paul and Linda McCartney – Red Rose Speedway sessions (1972)
Days We Left Behind
Paul McCartney – The Boys of Dungeon Lane (2026)
|
|
 |
 |
| Swallow |
Is This Love?
The Fireman – Electric Arguments (2008) |
|
 |
 |
| Swan |
This One – Paul McCartney – Flowers in the Dirt (1989) |
alternate video featuring bowler hats |
 |
 |
| Teal |
English Tea – Paul McCartney – Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005) |
In the collage Paul is drinking a pair of teals from a teacup. |
 |
 |
| Bird of paradise |
Rinse the Raindrops
Paul McCartney Driving Rain (2001) |
John referenced Birds of Paradise in Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox) (1974). |
Not native to UK |
Not native to UK |
| Bluebird |
Bluebird
Paul McCartney and Wings Band on the Run (1973) |
Not in collage |
Not native to UK |
Not native to UK |
| Cardinal |
You Tell Me
Paul McCartney Memory Almost Full (2007) |
Not in collage |
Not native to UK |
Not native to UK |
| Chicken |
When Winter Comes
Paul McCartney McCartney III (2020) |
Not in collage |
Not native to UK |
Not native to UK |
| Cock |
Great Cock and Seagull Race
Paul and Linda McCartney Ram (1971) |
Not in collage |
Not native to UK |
Not native to UK |
| Crow |
I Don't Know
Paul McCartney Egypt Station (2018) |
Out of the corvids included in our books, I've chosen the rook based on the atmosphere of the song. |
Not in collage |
 |
| Goose |
Morse Moose and the Grey Goose
Paul McCartney \& Wings London Town (1978) |
The Greylag Goose seems most suitable. |
Not in collage |
 |
| Hummingbird |
You Tell Me
Paul McCartney Memory Almost Full (2007) |
Not in collage |
Not native to UK |
Not native to UK |
| Nightingale |
On The Wings of a Nightingale
Paul McCartney EB 84 (1984) |
Not in collage |
Not in collage |
 |
| Peacock |
Peacocks (bootleg)
Paul McCarteny unreleased (1987) |
Not in collage, not native to UK, illustration from Archibald Thorburn |
|
 |
| Pigeon |
Single Pigeon
Wings Red Rose Speedway (1973) |
Street pigeons are actually rock doves. |
Not in collage |
 |
| Robin |
Happy With You
Paul McCartney Egypt Station (2018) |
Not in collage |
Not in collage |
 |
| Rufous bellied thrush |
Back in Brazil
Paul McCartney Egypt Station (2018) |
You can hear Paul's own recording of this thrush singing at the beginning of this song. |
Not native to UK |
Not native to UK |
| Seagull |
Single Pigeon
Wings Red Rose Speedway (1973)
Great Cock and Seagull Race
Paul and Linda McCartney Ram (1971)
|
Seagull is not a defined name in ornithology, so I went with Common Gull. |
Not in collage |
 |
| Wren |
Jenny Wren
Paul McCartney Chaos and Creation In The Backyard (2004) |
Not in collage |
Not in collage |
 |
