Not sure which deer? Free Online Guide: Identifying deer in the UK (2024)

FAQs

Which deer are native to the UK? ›

Of the wild UK deer species, only red deer and roe deer are truly indigenous. Fallow deer were almost certainly introduced by the Normans while three Asiatic species, Reeves' muntjac, Chinese water deer and sika arrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Red deer have red-brown fur with a cream rump. The UK's largest land mammal, a mature male (stag) may stand four feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 200kg. Stags develop a large set of antlers that grow with age.

Roe has a plain cream/white rump (oval shape in males and upside down heart shape in females) which can be flared when alarmed, with no visible tail. Fallow coat can vary greatly but is typically brown with white spots in summer and paler brown with white spots in winter.

The first antlers of fallow, red and sika are simple spikes with a small or no coronet; they can be anything from a knob to 20cm long. Muntjac have simple antlers, less than 10cm long. The first antlers are a simple spike with no coronet; thereafter there is a coronet that may have a small tine at the base.

In Britain there are six species of deer to be found in the wild, including red deer, roe deer, fallow deer, muntjac, Chinese water deer and sika deer.

The red deer is Britain's largest native land mammal (adult stags weigh up to 190 kg and are up to around 140 cm at the shoulder). There have been laws to protect red deer since Saxon times and they have survived in fluctuating numbers through the Middle Ages to modern times.

A very small, stocky deer, the muntjac deer is about the same size as a medium dog. It is gingery-brown, with a pale underside, darker stripes in its face, and small, single-pointed antlers.

Reeves's muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi; Chinese: 山羌), also known as the Chinese muntjac, is a muntjac species found widely in southeastern China (from Gansu to Yunnan) and Taiwan. It has also been introduced in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan.

According to the British Deer Society, white deer are usually part of the fallow deer species, and sightings in the UK are said to be “extremely rare”.

The fallow deer is an elegant, medium-sized deer, with a typically spotted coat. Males have broad, palmate antlers. During the autumnal breeding season, known as the 'rut', males make a loud belly belch to proclaim their territory and fight over the females.

How many deer are there in the UK? ›

At around 2 million animals, the UK's deer population is estimated to stand now at its highest level for 1,000 years; there are more deer now than when William the Conqueror arrived. Our immense national herd keeps on growing.

Reeves' muntjac deer (Muntiacus reevesi)

Russet brown in colour for most of the year, turning to a dull grey in winter. They have a wide, flat tail, which is raised erect to display a white underside when disturbed. Brought from China to Woburn Park in Bedfordshire in the early 20th century.

Muntjac are a russet brown colour for most of the year, turning to a dull grey in winter. Male muntjac called bucks, females does and the young fawn. Reeves' Muntjac deer are a small but stocky species of deer and when fully grown males (bucks) weigh between 10 to 18kg as adults and females (does) weigh 9 to 16kg.

What do fallow deer look like? Typically, fallow deer have a light chestnut-brown coat with white spots during the summer and a duller grey-brown coat in the winter. However, it is not uncommon to see deer with darker brown and even black fur. Occasionally, some fallow deer are born with white coats.

In Scotland, male stags can weigh up to 500 pounds and span 6.5 feet from nose to tail. Their antlers, which grow in the spring and shed at winter's end, can measure more than 3 feet in length, with fourth and fifth tines often forming a "crown." Red deers' coats are reddish-brown and their rumps are cream-colored.

The red deer is the UK's largest deer. Males have large, branching antlers, increasing in size as they get older. During the autumnal breeding season, known as the 'rut, males bellow to proclaim their territory and will fight over the females, sometimes injuring each other with their sharp antlers.

While white-tailed deer are found worldwide, they are not native to Northern Europe. This animal is only found in North America and parts of Central Asia.