One is referred to in some parts as a "brown budgie", the other is the closest Britain will get to a bird of paradise. But both feature in a national survey of our garden birds.
The house sparrow remains the most common species in Greater Manchester and across the UK but there has also been a big rise in the number of jays. And after decades of decline the red-listed greenfinch may be on the cusp of a revival.
Just under 20,000 people took part in the RSPB bird count this year in our region, and 700,000 in the UK. House sparrows held on the top spot, but the jay surprisingly flew nine places up on last year's results. Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest wildlife survey and gives RSPB scientists insights into how our garden birds are faring.
