Page 405 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

BUNTINGS
Order Passeriformes Family Emberizidae Species Miliaria calandra
Corn Bunting weak head
pattern
dark stripes
on crown
dark eye with
thin pale ring
stocky
shape large, triangular
pale yellowish bill
streaked, pale
brown back
dark lower
edge to cheeks
row of dark SINGING
spots on
wing coverts
dark streaks below
plain plain often merge into
tail wings central spot
IN FLIGHT pale breast

plain brown
tail
large bunting, the
ACorn Bunting is
superficially like a
Skylark, being a similarly
pale, streaky brown. It is, however, plain on both wings and tail, and
it perches on wires, fence posts, clumps of earth, or bushes, singing
a short, simple phrase repeated with little variation. It feeds on the FLIGHT: long undulations; powerful bouts of
ground like other buntings, hopping and creeping rather than wingbeats between looping glides with closed wings;
walking like a lark. It can often be seen flying over in small groups, in display, sometimes flies off with legs lowered.
calling distinctively, towards dusk,
heading for communal roosts which
may be scores or even hundreds strong.
VOICE Call short, abrupt, clicking
plip or quit; song jangling, dry, fast
rattled phrase like rattled keys or
broken glass, ti-ti-ti-tchee-iriririrr.
NESTING Nest of grass and roots,
lined with finer material, on ground; WINTER FLOCKS
3–5 eggs; 1 or 2 broods;April–June. Where they remain common, Corn Buntings feed in
FEEDING Picks insects and seeds in small groups or even larger flocks in winter, resorting
summer, seeds in winter, from ground. to hedges when disturbed.
OCCURRENCE
SIMILAR SPECIES Breeds locally in UK, across Europe
north to Baltic, most commonly in
REED BUNTING 2; small dark crest YELLOWHAMMER 2; S Europe. Around meadows,
see p.395 bill see p.398
cereal prairies, and farmland with
smaller
white tail hedges and scattered trees.
white tail sides Present all year except in E Europe,
sides rusty rump where summer visitor only but
white tail declining in many areas.
SKYLARK sides
walks on ground; Seen in the UK
see p.265 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 18cm (7in) Wingspan 26–32cm (10–12 1 ⁄2in) Weight 38–55g (1 3 ⁄8 –2oz)
Social Small flocks Lifespan 2–3 years Status Secure†
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