Dunnock

Sexes are very similar. Head, throat, and breast are slate-grey. Back and wings are warm brown with heavy dark streaks. Flanks show prominent bold brown and buff streaks. Belly is whitish. Bill is thin and pointed, dark grey. Legs are reddish-brown.

Slate-grey head and underparts, streaked brown upperparts, thin needle-like bill, and reddish-brown legs.

Length: 13-14.5 cm, Wingspan: 19-21 cm, Weight: 14-23 g

Song is a thin, high-pitched, hurried, squeaky trill often delivered from a prominent bush or roof top. Call is a high, thin 'tseep'.

Invertebrates (especially beetles, spiders, and caterpillars) during spring and summer; seeds and small fruits during autumn and winter. Forages primarily by ground-gleaning.

Woodland edges, scrub, hedgerows, parks, and suburban gardens with dense cover.

Mostly sedentary resident, though northern and eastern populations may move south or west during harsh winters.

Builds a neat cup-shaped nest of twigs, moss, and grass lined with softer materials like hair or wool, hidden low in dense bushes or conifers. Clutch size is typically 4-5 bright turquoise-blue eggs.

House Sparrow or Eurasian Tree Sparrow, but distinguished immediately by the Dunnock's slate-grey head and breast, and very fine, pointed insect-eating bill.

Acts as an insect controller in gardens and woodlands, and serves as a primary host species for the brooding cuckoo in many European habitats.

Least Concern, with a stable and widespread population trend.

Look for them hopping quietly along garden paths, flower beds, or the edges of dense shrubs. They respond well to quiet observation and are often spotted scratching the ground for fallen seeds.

Dunnocks have a notoriously complex mating system that can involve monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, and even polygynandry all within the same population.