The corn bunting can be tricky to identify, but look a little closer at this unassuming bunting and you’ll find plenty of surprises. Learn all about the songbird, including what it looks like, its call, favoured habitat and courtship with your expert birder’s guide <\/p>

Honestly, the things that small brown birds get up to. A scientific study once found a male corn bunting (Emberiza calandra<\/em>) in a Sussex field that in a single season mated with 18 different females.<\/p>\n

Looking at the dull corn bunting, one of Britain\u2019s most featureless birds \u2013 one that makes a house sparrow look like a supermodel \u2013 one would not expect such shenanigans.<\/p>\n

In this guide we take a closer look at the unassuming yet surprising world of the corn bunting, revealing what it looks like, its song, diet and courtship.<\/p>\n

Buntings guide<\/h4>\n
Buntings are a group of seed-eating birds that bear many of the same characteristics as finches. Learn all about these special songbirds, including six species to look out for in Britain, with your expert guide to buntings<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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Corn bunting identification<\/h2>\n
The corn bunting presents a tricky identification problem, because there isn\u2019t much to hold on to \u2013 it\u2019s brown and streaky and lacking any definitive features to pin upon it.<\/p>\n
It is noticeably, though, a\u00a0small rotund bird, a feature exaggerated by the short tail. The bill is broad and yellowish, while the streaks on the breast often coalesce to make a spot.<\/p>\n
The tail doesn\u2019t have white edges, as seen on the yellowhammer<\/a>, which is often found in similar places.<\/p>\n
It has a powerful, rather graceful flight, but you need to know the bird very well to tell from this feature.<\/p>\n
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