Deer Species - The British Deer Society

Six species of wild deer live in the British countryside. Photo by Szczepan Klejbuk

ABOUT UK DEER SPECIES

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.

BRITISH DEER NAMES

The characteristics of each deer species make them well-suited to the habitats found across Britain and highly adaptable to environmental changes. Together they make a valuable contribution to biodiversity and are some of our most engaging British mammals.

Somewhat confusingly, the genders and offspring of deer in the UK can have different names depending on the species – not all young deer are called fawns and not all male deer are called stags!

Species

Male

Female

Young

Red

Stag

Hind

Calf

Sika

Stag

Hind

Calf

Roe

Buck

Doe

Kid

Muntjac

Buck

Doe

Fawn

Fallow

Buck

Doe

Fawn

Chinese water deer

Buck

Doe

Fawn

MEDIUM TO LARGE DEER SPECIES

RED DEER

SIKA DEER

FALLOW DEER

MEDIUM to SMALL DEER SPECIES

ROE DEER

MUNTJAC DEER

CHINESE WATER DEER

Watch Deer in Action

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UK WILD Deer Distribution

The British Deer Society regularly maps the presence of deer across the UK, providing a free resource which is highly valued by scientists, researchers, students and the media, as well as the general public.

Our surveys provide a unique look at the distribution of our six deer species, and being able to compare the latest results against previous records provides vital information on the changing ranges of our deer populations. Click the links below to download a PDF poster of each map.