600px Atlas logo
Home > BirdFacts > accentors > Dunnock

For details point at or click the button; for sources point at the button
Dunnock Prunella modularis   [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links
Order: Passeriformes Family: Prunellidae
BTO Codes: D., DUNNO EURING No: 10840
Number in Britain: 2.1 million territories (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: Not a species of concern
Global: Least Concern
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  

Status in UK: (A)  Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies: hebridium (R), occidentalis (R), modularis (W) recorded in Britain (of 8 subsp. in the world)
.
Length: 14 cm Wingspan: 20 cm Weight: M/F: 21 g    
Scientific name from: Diminutive of L.: prunus=brown and L.: modulari=to sing
World Distribution: Europe & Near East
Habitat: Scrub, undergrowth, towns
Diet: Mostly insects, in winter also seeds, mostly near ground in cover
TitBit: This unobtrusive little brown bird doesn't form pairs (like most birds), but breeds in groups of up to three males and three females, with two males and a female being the most common.  
line
Population and Distribution
Population Trend: Wider Countryside Report
Regional Trends: Scotland   Wales   England   English Regions
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Help with the New Atlas)    BBS Maps
British Population Size:
    Summer: 2.1 million territories in 2000
    First Record: 8th Century [Fossil evidence from Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Recent Breeding Population Decline (1969-2007),
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern: hebridium AMBER (Important Population), occidentalis AMBER (Recent Decline), modularis GREEN
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    Most frequent in: Villages
    Also common in: Scrub, Arable Farmland, Pasture Farmland, Towns
    And found in: Deciduous Wood
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
    Summer: 10.5 to 23 million pairs   (Trend in Numbers)
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(III), Bern(III)
Survey Results: Garden BirdWatch
line
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 19 x 15 mm Egg Weight: 2.1 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 324
Clutch Size: 4 - 5 eggs 4.06 ± 0.75 (2 - 6) N = 3487
Incubation: 14- 15 days 14.10 ± 2.08 (10.5 - 18.5) N = 3485 by the: Female
Fledging: 12 - 15days 13.18 ± 1.70 (10 - 16) N = 3509 as: Altricial, downy
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid: 27 Apr (1 Apr - 15 Jun)
Number of Broods: 2(3)
Trends in Breeding Productivity

Number Ringed: 14779
Adult Survival: 0.473 ± 0.012       
Juvenile Survival: 0.347 (in First-Year)  
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: 2 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 11yr 3m
line
Biometrics
Ring Size: A (pulli B)
Wing Length Adult: 69.9 ± 2.1 Range 67 - 73 mm, N =24215
Juvenile: 69.4 ± 2.0 66 - 72 mm, N =23776
Male: 70.7 ± 1.9 68 - 74 mm, N =6571
Female: 68.8 ± 1.9 66 - 72 mm, N =3114
Weight Adult: 21.17 ± 3.08 Range 18.60 - 24.00 g , N =19587
Juvenile: 20.54 ± 2.08 18.10 - 23.20 g , N =19030
Male: 20.86 ± 3.22 18.70 - 23.10 g , N =5345
Female: 20.88 ± 1.96 . 18.10 - 24.50 g , N =2513
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
line
Other Names
Hedge Accentor/Sparrow
Gaelic: Gealbhonn-gàraidh Welsh: Llwyd y Gwrych
Danish: Jernspurv Dutch: Heggemus
Finnish: Rautiainen French: Accenteur mouchet
German: Heckenbraunelle Hungarian: Erdei szürkebegy
Icelandic: Runnatítla Irish: Donnóg
Italian: Passera scropaiola Norwegian: Jernspurv
Polish: Pokrzywnica Portuguese: Ferreirinha-comum
Spanish: Acentor común Swedish: Järnsparv
Local Names: Scrubber, Shufflewing, Creepie
line
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
   Davies, N.B. 1992 Dunnock behaviour and social evolution Oxford University Press, Oxford [598.874 DAV]
   Davies, N.B. 1987 Studies of West Palearctic birds: Dunnock British Birds 80:604-624
See Also:
Wikipedia entry
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
Selected scientific papers published 1980-2005
Find more papers on Google Scholar
Find more papers on Scirus

BTO blue divider
BirdWeb logo, click to go to BirdWeb BirdFacts home | BTO Home
Email: birdfacts@bto.org

These data should be cited as:
Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.24, June 2009). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)

 

© British Trust for Ornithology,
The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK.
Terms and Conditions
| Privacy Statement
Registered Charity Number 216652.


Pages maintained by Iain Downie & Rob Robinson