Corn Bunting - Emberiza Calandra

A Chance spot while driving today!

Tags:   Bunting Corn-Bunting Avian Wildlife. Woodlands Farmland Countryside Songbirds Nature Birds. Wildbirds

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Corn Bunting - Emberiza Calandra


Like many of our farmland birds, the corn bunting has declined in number in recent years. Spot this streaky brown, thick-billed bird singing from a wire or post - it sounds just like a set of jangling keys!

When to see
January to December

The corn bunting is a sparrow-sized, streaky brown bird of hedgerows and farmland that feeds on seeds and invertebrates. In the winter, it will join mixed flocks of buntings, finches and sparrows to feed on seeds on farmland. Male corn buntings are often seen perched on top of bushes singing loudly - a song that sounds just like a jangling set of keys. Male corn buntings may mate with up to 18 different females in a season. The female builds her grass nest in rough grassy margins or arable crops and incubates the eggs by herself. The male may help to feed the chicks once they have hatched.

The corn bunting is a big, pale, streaky brown bunting. It is most similar to the skylark, but with a thicker bill and no crest. It is larger than other buntings, but this group can be difficult to tell apart.

Widespread in the lowlands of England and Scotland. Absent from Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.
Habitats

Heathland and moorlandFarmland


The corn bunting is not a migratory bird in the UK; it is so sedentary, in fact, that males who are just 30km apart sing with different 'dialects'.

Tags:   Corn Bunting Buntings Bunting Farmland Fields Finch Finches Avian Animal Animals Birds. Bird Bird Photography Countryside Grasslands Moorland Moors Meadows Wildlife. Wildbirds Wildlife Photography Lowlands Hedgerows Nature Nature Photography Ornithology Jeff Lack Photography Song Birds

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