Six species of deer live freely in the British countryside. 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 deer arrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The characteristics of each 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 gender and offspring of deer species in the UK have different names.

Species	Male	Female	Offspring
Red deer	Stag	Hind	Calf
Sika deer	Stag	Hind	Calf
Roe deer	Buck	Doe	Kid
Reeves’ muntjac deer	Buck	Doe	Kid
Fallow deer	Buck	Doe	Fawn
Chinese water deer	Buck	Doe	Fawn

Click below for details of native deer species.