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Red Deer

Cervus elaphus

Mammals

A dark green deer in a white circle with a coral border
Mammals
Family:
Cervidae
Origin:
Native
Diet:
Grasses & sedges, rushes, tree shoots, shrubs
A male red deer stares at the camera
Two male red deer in a Scottish glen
A juvenile red deer grows its first set of antlers
A male red deer grazing in a cut grass parkland
A male red deer with the Scottish hills in the background

When to See Me

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Dec
A close up of a male red deer's face looking towards the camera
Spotting Tips

The red deer is the UK’s largest land mammal, with mature males (stags) standing up to four feet (to the shoulder) and weighing up to 200kg (440lb). The iconic image of the male’s branching antlers is commonly associated with the Scottish highlands, and it’s pretty easy to see them up close.

Starting with just two points, the antlers steadily grow, developing up to 16 branches. These are shed and regrown every year, with older males known to develop antlers that measure up to one metre in and weigh as much as 15kg.

Red deer are russet-brown in colour, with a pale (creamy) rump patch and tail, and are normally found on moorland and mountainsides, as well as grasslands near to woodland.

Where to Find Me
Red deer are simple to spot in open habitat and are a regular sight here at Lilias’s Garden. They can be a bit skittish and will get spooked by walkers as they approach, sometimes darting across the path about 50-100m in advance, before disappearing into the brush. Normally they’re easiest to see in winter, when the undergrowth and scrubland is at its lowest point. They also tend to migrate down from the hills at this time, so probably November to April is when you’re most likely to find them on the property.
A group of red deer amongst the wild grass in the Scottish highlands
Learn More
Woodland Trust Website
Scottish Wildlife Trust Website

Red Deer

Cervus elaphus

A male red deer stares at the camera
Two male red deer in a Scottish glen
A juvenile red deer grows its first set of antlers
A male red deer grazing in a cut grass parkland
A male red deer with the Scottish hills in the background

Mammals

A dark green deer in a white circle with a coral border
Mammals
Family:
Cervidae
Origin:
Native
Diet:
Grasses & sedges, rushes, tree shoots, shrubs
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
A close up of a male red deer's face looking towards the camera

The red deer is the UK’s largest land mammal, with mature males (stags) standing up to four feet (to the shoulder) and weighing up to 200kg (440lb). The iconic image of the male’s branching antlers is commonly associated with the Scottish highlands, and it’s pretty easy to see them up close.

Starting with just two points, the antlers steadily grow, developing up to 16 branches. These are shed and regrown every year, with older males known to develop antlers that measure up to one metre in and weigh as much as 15kg.

Red deer are russet-brown in colour, with a pale (creamy) rump patch and tail, and are normally found on moorland and mountainsides, as well as grasslands near to woodland.

Red deer are simple to spot in open habitat and are a regular sight here at Lilias’s Garden. They can be a bit skittish and will get spooked by walkers as they approach, sometimes darting across the path about 50-100m in advance, before disappearing into the brush. Normally they’re easiest to see in winter, when the undergrowth and scrubland is at its lowest point. They also tend to migrate down from the hills at this time, so probably November to April is when you’re most likely to find them on the property.
A group of red deer amongst the wild grass in the Scottish highlands