The following is a brief overview of some of the easily generalised aspects of deer natural history - please select a subject from the right-hand menu. For species-specific information, the reader is directed to the individual species profiles which can be accessed from the main deer menu page. Each species resident in the UK (see below) has their own section, starting with an overview (“Speed Read”) of their biology and ecology before exploring their natural history in greater detail. Note: This part of the site is still a work in progress, while all species has an overview, many of the main articles are in preparation. Links will be activated as the new content comes online.
There are five species of deer wild living in the UK: Red (Cervus elaphus); Fallow (Dama dama); Roe (Capreolus capreolus), Japanese sika (Cervus nippon); Reeves’ muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi); and Chinese water deer (Hydropotes inermis). Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) range freely in parts of the Cairngorms in Scotland, but are part of a privately owned and managed herd.
Bibliography
A Highland Deer Herd and its Habitat - by Jos Milner; Jim Alexander; Cy Griffin
Red Lion House
-- 2002
-- ISBN: 978-0951263150
A Life for Deer: A deer vet tells their story and his - by John Fletcher
Victor Gollancz Books
-- 2000
-- ISBN: 978-0575070905
Atlas of the Mammals of Great Britain & Northern Ireland - by Multiple Contributors
Pelagic Publishing
-- 2020
-- ISBN: 978-1784272043
Britain’s Mammals 2018: The Mammal Society’s Guide to their Population & Conservation Status - by Multiple Contributors
The Mammal Society
-- 2020
-- ISBN: 978-0993567339
Collins Field Guide: Mammals of Britain and Europe - by David MacDonald and Priscilla Barrett
HarperCollins Publishers
-- 1993
-- ISBN: 978-0002197793
Deer - by Raymond Chaplin
Blandford Press
-- 1977
-- ISBN: 978-0713707960
Deer - by John Fletcher
Reakton Books
-- 2014
-- ISBN: 978-1780230887
Deer - by Norma Chapman
Whittet Books
-- 1991
-- ISBN: 978-1873580356
Deer of Britain and Ireland: Their origins and distribution - by Peter Carne
Swan-Hill Press
-- 2000
-- ISBN: 978-1840370911
Deer of the World: Their Evolution, Behavior, and Ecology - by Valerius Geist
Stackpole Books
-- 1998
-- ISBN: 978-0811704960
Deer Watch: A Field Guide (Revised Edition) - by Richard Prior
Swan-Hill Press
-- 2007
-- ISBN: 978-1846890130
Deer: Law & Liabilities (2nd Edition) - by Charlie Parkes; John Thornley
Quiller
-- 2008
-- ISBN: 978-1846890475
Gardens and Deer: A guide to damage limitation - by Charles Coles
Swan-Hill Press
-- 1997
-- ISBN: 978-1853109652
Grazing in Temperate Ecosystems: Large Herbivores and the Ecology of the New Forest - by Rod Putman
Croom Helm
-- 1986
-- ISBN: 978-0881920710
Highland Deer Forest - by Lea MacNally
J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd.
-- 1970
-- ISBN: 978-0330234665
Kia – A Study of Red Deer - by Ian Alcock
Swan-Hill Press
-- 1999
-- ISBN: 978-1840370317
Living with Deer - by Richard Prior
Andre Deusch
-- 1965
-- ISBN: 978-0727401175
Mammals of the British Isles: Handbook, 4th Edition - by Stephen Harris and Derek Yalden (eds)
The Mammal Society
-- 2008
-- ISBN: 978-0906282656
The natural history "bible" covering all British mammals with detailed coverage of their biology, behaviour, ecology and taxonomy written by experts in the field and referenced to the primary literature.
Mind the Gap: Postglacial colonization of Ireland - by John L. Davenport, David P. Sleeman & Peter C. Woodman (eds)
Irish Naturalists' Journal
-- 2008
Muntjac and Water Deer: Natural History, Environmental Impact and Management - by Arnold Cooke
Pelagic Publishing
-- 2019
-- ISBN: 978-1784271909
Nick Baker’s British Wildlife: A month by month guide - by Nick Baker
New Holland Publishers
-- 2003
-- ISBN: 978-1845171131
Red Deer: Behaviour and Ecology of Two Sexes - by Tim Clutton-Brock; Fiona Guinness; Steve Albon
Edinburgh University Press
-- 1982
-- ISBN: 978-0226110578
Scottish Red Deer and their Conservation - by Victor Lowe
Hayloft Publishing
-- 2014
-- ISBN: 978-1904524939
Silent Fields: The long decline of a nation’s wildlife - by Roger Lovegrove
Oxford Univesrity Press
-- 2007
-- ISBN: 978-0199548156
Simon King’s Wildguide - by Simon King
BBC Books
-- 1994
-- ISBN: 978-0563364962
The British Mammal Guide - by Steve Evans & Paul Wetton
Isabelline Films
-- 2015
-- ISBN: N/A
The Darkness is Light Enough: The field journal of a night naturalist - by Chris Ferris
Sphere Books Ltd.
-- 1986
-- ISBN: 978-0718126902
The Deer of Great Britain & Ireland: An account of their history, status and distribution - by Peter Carne
G. Kenneth Whitehead
-- 1964
-- ISBN: None
The Encyclopaedia of Mammals - by David MacDonald (ed.)
Brown Reference Group
-- 2006
-- ISBN: 978-0199206087
The Natural History of Deer - by Rory Putman
Christopher Helm
-- 1988
-- ISBN: 978-0801422836
The New Amateur Naturalist - by Nick Baker
HarperCollins Publishers
-- 2004
-- ISBN: 978-0007157310
The Story of a Red-Deer - by William Fortescue
MacMillian and Co.
-- 1897
-- ISBN: 978-1507576755
The Watcher and the Red Deer - by Richard Perry
The Country Book Club
-- 1972
-- ISBN: 978-0715353851
The Wildlife Trust’s Handbook of Garden Wildlife - by Nicholas Hammond
Bloombury
-- 2014
-- ISBN: 978-1472915863
UK Mammals: Species Status & Population Trends - by The Tracking Mammals Partnership
JNCC/TMP
-- 2005
-- ISBN: 978-1861075680
Urban Mammals: A Concise Guide - by David Wembridge
Whittet Books
-- 2012
-- ISBN: 978-1873580851
Urban Wildlife - by Peter Shirley
Whittet Books
-- 1996
-- ISBN: 978-1873580233
Wild Animals of Britain & Europe - by Helga Hofmann
HarperCollins Publishers
-- 1995
-- ISBN: 978-0007627271