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Common Reed Bunting![]() Size: 15-16.5 cm; wing span 21-28 cm Weight: 16-25 g |
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Similar |
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Photos |
Race "schoeniclus"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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BREEDING |
Frontal view of a male Common Reed Bunting in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Near-frontal view of a male Common Reed Bunting in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of G. Normand)
[Near Saint Omer, between Lille and Boulogne-sur-Mer,
Hauts-de-France, France, June 2020]
Lateral view of a male Common Reed Bunting in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Lateral/ventral view of a male Common Reed Bunting in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Between Bensersiel and Ostbense, Ostfriesland, Germany, June 2021]
Near-dorsal view of a male Common Reed Bunting in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Near-dorsal view of a male Common Reed Bunting in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Near-dorsal view of a male Common Reed Bunting in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
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NON-BREEDING |
Lateral view of a male Common Reed Bunting in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2019]
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FEMALE |
Frontal view of a female Common Reed Bunting that has caught
a flying insect (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Near-frontal/ventral view of a female Common Reed Bunting with a
full load of juicy caterpillars for its brood
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Lateral view of a female Common Reed Bunting
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
Near-dorsal view of a female Common Reed Bunting with a full load
of juicy caterpillars
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Frontal view of a first-winter Common Reed Bunting;
note the sandy markings under the ear coverts, rather than
white
(photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Temerin, Serbia, January 2017]
Frontal view of a fledgling Common Reed Bunting
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2014]
Frontal view of a fledgling Common Reed Bunting
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2014]
Near-frontal view of a fledgling Common Reed Bunting
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2014]
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Food, Diet |
Like all buntings known to us, Common Reed Buntings are seed-eaters. The fact that the birds observed by us caught large numbers of insects (in May in Poland) very probably indicates that they were feeding nestlings at the time.
Note that cardueline finches (i.e. European Goldfinch, European Greenfinch, Eurasian Siskin and their close relatives) feed their young primarily regurgitated seeds, while fringilline finches (all others) feed their young primarily invertebrates.
Near-dorsal view of a female Common Reed Bunting with a full load
of juicy caterpillars (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]
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Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.
reedbnt_dw_20160529.m4a |
schoeniclus (Poland) |
Territorial calls (male) | © DW | |
reedbnt_dw_20160613.m4a |
schoeniclus (Poland) |
Territorial calls (male)? | © DW |
More Common Reed Bunting sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.