The robin , wren and blue tit have made it on to a shortlist to find Britain 's national bird . Ornithologist David Lindo , who has featured on TV shows such as Countryfile , decided to promote his passion for conservation after discovering Britain is one of the few countries not to have its own national bird . While America has the bald eagle , Sweden the common blackbird , Japan the green pheasant , France the Gallic rooster and India the peacock , the author and broadcaster said it was hard to believe that , as a nation of animal lovers , Britain does not have a bird to call its own . Bird is the word : The robin ( pictured ) , wren and blue tit have made it on to a shortlist to find Britain 's national bird . The wren ( left ) and blue tit ( right ) are among the favourites to win the prize when voting ends on May 7 . More than 70,000 people voted for a British shortlist and there are now six weeks to choose which bird should represent the country . The ten most popular were the robin , kingfisher , barn owl , blue tit , wren , blackbird , puffin , mute swan , red kite and hen harrier . Will the Kingfisher be top of the tree after the vote ? 1 ) Robin . 2 ) Kingfisher . 3 ) Barn owl . 4 ) Blue tit . 5 ) Wren . 6 ) Blackbird . 7 ) Puffin . 8 ) Mute swan . 9 ) Red kite . 10 ) Hen harrier . Mr Lindo said he will be speaking to the Government once the public has voted to see if the winner can officially be made Britain 's national bird . He said : ' I want to encourage the great British public to vote for the bird that best represents all that is great about this nation . 'Along with the expected contenders - the friendly robin , charismatic puffin and elegant swan - there is one major surprise , the hen harrier , one of England 's rarest breeding birds . 'Down to just one breeding pair a couple of years ago , it may already be extinct . Could the majestic hen harrier knock the hot favourite robin off its perch ? ' Although Mr Lindo says he is supposed to remain impartial he claims his vote would go to the blackbird whose birdsong reminds him of growing up and 'lazy , hazy sunny days ' . Vote at www.votenationalbird.com before May 7 .
Leading ornithologist launches a poll to find Britain 's national bird . The robin , wren and blue tit have all made it on to a shortlist for the vote . Tens of thousands expected to vote , with hen harrier a dark horse to win .