The largest of the European buntings, bulky in appearance and with heavily streaked earthy plumage that recalls a lark's. Its bill is thick and has a small tooth on the upper mandible with which it cracks grain. Unlike other buntings, it has no white bands on the tail.
Weight
49 g on average
Size
16 cm – 19 cm
Life expectancy
3 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Estimated population
An average of 10 million birds is estimated in Spain, with the largest populations in the centre and south of the peninsula
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Fun facts
GeneralFrom posts and wires it sings a metallic song that recalls a bunch of keys.
Its song, which it repeats more than a thousand times a day, has been likened to the jangling of a bunch of keys.
The small tooth on its upper mandible has given it popular Spanish names such as dentón, londra de muela or pájaro del diente.
It is easy to identify in flight because it flies with its legs dangling, which is unusual among passerines.
Life cycle and biology
Skeleton type
Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat and environment
Cereal fields, waste ground and cereal steppe
Birth weight
Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
Size at birth
Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
Sexual maturity
12 months
Gestation / incubation
12-14 days, by the female alone; the male only helps feed the chicks in the final stage
Litter / clutch size
4-6 white or bluish eggs with irregular streaks and speckles, with two or even three clutches a season. The chicks leave the nest at 7-10 days, before they can fly
Sources consulted: SEO/BirdLife (ficha y III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España); IUCN Red List; Asturnatura; Piculo Mateo 2020, Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles (MNCN-CSIC); Piculo 2022, III Atlas; Donald et al. 2001; Brambilla, Guidali y Negri 2009, Ornis Fennica 86
Where to find it
Best time: All year round, though it sings mainly between April and June from posts, wires and high branches
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Where to see it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 10 of 141.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Corn Bunting — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Same taxonomic family
Same taxonomic family
Same taxonomic family
Shares a park
Shares a park
Shares a park
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about corn bunting.
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