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Common Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) German name(s): "Rohrammer" Size: 14-16.5 cm; wing span: 21-28 cm Body mass: 16-25 g

Europe: Family Group 24 Family Group 24 Table White Wagtail Western Yellow Wagtail Grey Wagtail Tawny Pipit Berthelot's Pipit Red-throated Pipit Tree Pipit Meadow Pipit Water Pipit Eurasian Rock Pipit Greater Short-toed Lark Calandra Lark Woodlark Eurasian Skylark Bearded Reedling House Sparrow Tree Sparrow Spanish Sparrow Rock Sparrow Trumpeter Finch European Serin Atlantic Canary Red-fronted Serin Eurasian Siskin Common Redpoll Arctic Redpoll Twite Common Linnet Brambling Common Chaffinch European Goldfinch Eurasian Bullfinch Hawfinch Common Crossbill Common Rosefinch Yellowhammer Cirl Bunting Common Reed Bunting Little Bunting Ortolan Bunting Black-headed Bunting Corn Bunting Rock Bunting House Bunting Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Common Reed Buntings are small buntings. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Common Reed Buntings have different plumage during the breeding season and in eclipse. Breeding males have a black head and frontal bib, except for white moustachial stripes that link up with the prominent broad (and characteristic) pure-white neck band. The front is pale-buff to pale-grey, with some faint streaking on the sides/shoulders. In eclipse the head is mostly dark grey-brown and there is only an indication of a dark bib. Except for more prominent remaining white moustachial stripes and less streaking down the front and sides, non-breeding males resemble females. Females have a deep-brown head where the males' is black and a less pronounced off-white neck band. Their front is light-buff to light-grey, with copious streaking on the chest and sides. The upperwings of both sexes are highly cryptic, being barred dark-grey and light-brown, with light-grey edges on the flight feathers. The rump is grey, the tail is dark-grey with white outer edges. The irises of both sexes are dark-brown. The relatively short and narrow bill is dark-grey. The legs and feet are pinkish-grey to dark-grey. Juvenile birds have plainer colours yet than adult females.

Taxonomy, classification See Common Reed Bunting at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Common Reed Bunting is available HERE . Common Reed Buntings are a partly migratory Eurasian species with in total about 15 races found in western, central and eastern Europe, extending into western, central and northern Asia during the breeding season. Their distribution reaches Korea and Japan in the East. They winter in the northern Mediterranean, the north-western African coastline, Asia Minor, parts of the Middle East, Arabia and southern Asia. In Europe Common Reed Buntings are permanent residents in the central and western part of the continent, from Ireland and England via northern and central France to Denmark, most of Germany and northern Poland. They are also permanently present in the Danube river downs and along the northern coastline of the Black Sea to the northern side of the Caucasus mountain range. During the breeding season they are found everywhere else in Europe, including the eastern Adriatic coastline, but not in the Balkans and the rest of the Mediterranean, where they are found only in winter time. Common Reed Buntings have a preference for badly drained river downs, in particular reeds and sedges, but also lush meadows with tall grass.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "schoeniclus" D. Wilczynska reports spotting Common Reed Buntings, nominate race "schoeniclus", near Brok, Masovia, Poland, in May 2016. A. Sarok reports finding a Common Reed Bunting, race "schoeniclus", in Temerin, Vojvodina, Serbia, in January 2017. Others were found in Vojvodina, Serbia, in the timeframe 2010-2024. J. Pires reports finding Common Reed Buntings in Mora, Evora, Portugal, in July 2014 and near the Sorraia River in Santa Justa, Coruche, Portugal, in January 2018. G. Normand reports that Common Reed Buntings, race "schoeniclus", are commonly found in large parts of France. H. Dahlem-Senger found a Common Reed Bunting, race "schoeniclus", between Bensersiel and Ostbense, Ostfriesland, Germany, in June 2021.

Photos

Race "schoeniclus"

ADULT

MALE

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]

NON-BREEDING

Lateral view of a male Common Reed Bunting in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2019]

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]

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, Vojvodina, 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]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Partially migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

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.

Lateral view of a male Common Reed Bunting with protein for its brood - a larva
(photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

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]

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 .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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