Flights of Fancy an A-Z Of British Birds

Arctic Skuas, fish wives beware,
          steal from birds, without a care  
Blackbirds, fond of hedgerows hewn,  
           known to whistle occasional tunes  
Cuckoos. heralding spring sing loud,  
            beware the cuckoo land cloud!  
Doves, duck with a divers ease,  
            traditionally symbolise beautiful peace  
Eagles, immortal, courageous and bold,  
            eagle-eyed, with a plumage of gold  
Flycatchers, search flies in flight,  
            swoop from perches, a feeding delight  
Geese, possessing little wit,  
            occasionally upon golden eggs do sit!  
Herons, gangly and vexed,  
             also known for having s-shaped necks  
Insects, many a good feed,  
             airborne fast food, eaten at speed  
Jackdaws, inquisitive, kindred of Crow,  
             steals through the skies, taking all aglow  
Kingfishers, sapphire, red, and green,  
             beautiful colours to be seen  
Lapwings, loud shrills, and insincere,  
             fly with egg-shell attached very near  
Magpies, possessing magical mystique,  
             sometimes portent of coming times bleak  
Nightingales, mythologically Philomel,  
             melodious midnight serenades, sang so well  
Owls, emblems of Athens past,  
              symbolic of wisdoms, of the stars  
Partridges, particularly partial to pear trees,  
              when braced, huntsmen to please  
Quails, eggs delicacies held dear,  
              causes Quails to tremble with fear  
Robins, red-breasted, (with leaves they cover the dead), not Puckish, but good,  
              loved like the folk hero Robin Hood  
Starlings, amiable, keen for friendship,  
              travel afar on migrational trips  
Thrush also Throstle, fluent of tongues,  
              mistle-toe food and christmassy songs  
Uplands, Utopia for magical Merlins,  
               loves high ground, gently unfurling  
Vermian, for most birds, a succulent delight,  
               eating worms, as part of their diet  
Woodpeckers, like climbing trees,  
               picking out insects, with utmost ease  
X is for extinction, of various birds,  
               preventative action, louder than words  
Yellowhammers, cursed eggs destroyed,  
               taken by men, collecting like boys  
Zoos, offering sanctuary for endangered species,  
               unfortunately caused by the human disease
 
by Jemia