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Gallery - Buntings

Buntings are rather finch-like but have differently-structured bills, slightly flatter heads and longer bodies, and many have longer tails with white sides. Some are short-legged and heavy-bodied and strictly ground based, others are lighter and live more in trees and bushes. Most have simple, unmusical but distinctive songs.

[RSPB red conservation status][More information about Yellowhammer][yham2]Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)

The yellowhammer is classed as a Red list Species-High Conservation Concern.

Resedent in open countryside with bushes and scattered trees.They feed mainly on seeds but some insects are eaten in summer. The nest is on or close to the ground among vegetation.


[RSPB red conservation status][More information about Cirl Bunting][cirlbunting1]Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirus)

The Cirl Bunting has been classified as a Red list species-High conservation concern.

A Bunting of small fields and tall hedges. Mostly resident, but forms small flocks in winter which often visit stubble fields. Eats seeds, but takes insects when nesting. The bulky nest is built low down in a shrub and hidden in dense vegetation.


[RSPB red conservation status][More information about Corn Bunting][cornbunting2]Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra)

A large, rather plain bunting which lives in undulating lowlands, open countryside and on arable farmland. Uses small bushes, large plants or overhead wires as a song-perch. Mostly resident and nests on the ground.


[RSPB amber conservation status][More information about Reed Bunting][rebe8]Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)

The Reed Bunting is classed as a Red List Species-High Conservation Concern.

The male often sings from a prominent perch in a reed- bed or wet ditch, but Reed Buntings also nest in drier conditions including arable fields. They eat seeds and insects.The birds form flocks in winter and often join with other small birds on farmland and other open areas.They nest among vegitation on the ground.


[RSPB amber conservation status][More information about Snow Bunting][snowbunting17]Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)

The Snow Bunting is a Amber list Species-Medium Conservation Concern.

The Snow Bunting is the most Northerly breeding bird which nests in the high Artic as well as the mountains of Scotland.At home in barren,often icy conditions. Eats mainly seeds. They migrate south to winter on beaches,coastal marshes or open country well away from the sea.


[RSPB amber conservation status][More information about Lapland Bunting][laplandbunting2]Lapland Bunting (Calcarius Lapponicus)

Breeds in the Artic Tundra and in autumn often found on coastal heaths and stubble fields close to the coast.


[nopic64]Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana)

The number of birds seen in Britian each year usualy fluctuates between 50 and 100. There is however a tendency for more to be seen in autumn. In Britian it is generally seen in arable fields near the coast and also frequently on offshore islands.



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