Favourite bird is a hard one. While I am partial to a good roast chicken, roast bobwhite is very good, as is deep fried pigeon, and for Christmas you can keep your old turkey, give me a goose every time.
Having lived in the eastern US as well as the UK I have a soft spot for some of the common birds that I grew up watching and hearing. Those US birds; bright red cardinals, all-over blue jays, redwing blackbirds with their epaulettes were certainly striking to look at, but they were more squawkers than singers. The little ruby throated humming birds were great to watch too as they were by far the most fearless and would come to feeders right next to one.
Right now though, I think my favourite bird has to be the red kite. I remember 20 years or so ago when I saw my first kite in mid-Wales. Nothing but a spec soaring over a distant peak. Now they have spread through the Chilterns even up into Leicestershire. Then nested in the spinney of trees across the field behind my house and they are a regular site low in the sky. Their size and acrobatic turns make them something special to watch.
The pictures below were taken with a 100mm lens and cropped, not the best arrangement. I put some meat scraps out and those that our horde of magpies left were eventually spotted by the kites.