Innholdsfortegnelse for Finches, Sparrows and Buntings i Bird ID Photo Guides

Basic Principles Snow Bunting is a remarkable species, a real High Arctic specialist and the world’s most northerly breeding passerine. It has a circumpolar distribution, breeding at high latitudes. Some winter well to the north but most, especially females, move south in autumn. There are three subspecies. Nominate nivalis breeds in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Spitsbergen and Scandinavia. North American birds and those from southern and western Greenland winter in the Great Plains, some from south-east Greenland and those from Scandinavia wintering mainly in coastal north-west Europe. A further, albeit poorly defined, subspecies – vlasowae – breeds from north-east European Russia (where it intergrades with nivalis) eastward to the Pacific and winters mainly across the Asian steppe zone but also as far west as Hungary. A third, much more range-restricted subspecies…

Basic Principles A large-looking bunting with a longish tail and white outer tail feathers flies up from the edge of a stubble field, perches briefly on top of a hedge and then moves on. Obviously a Yellowhammer, right? In most of Britain you would be correct, but in parts of south-west England there is another option to consider: Cirl Bunting. It is also always worth bearing in mind the outside chance of a vagrant Pine Bunting anywhere in Britain between October and April. Yellowhammer As ever, the key to discovering a scarce or rare bird is familiarity with its more regular relatives. Yellowhammer has a very large range, breeding from western Europe right through European Russia into western Siberia. It was once a very common inhabitant of our agricultural landscape,…

Basic Principles Redpolls are delightful, characterful small finches found throughout the northern regions of the Holarctic. They are, however, notoriously problematic to identify. There is considerable sex, age and seasonal variation and much character overlap between the three currently recognised species, while posture and light conditions have a major effect on their appearance. In this respect they can be likened to large gulls and their identification requires a similar tolerance of uncertainty. Most birds have to be identified by reference to a ‘suite of characters’ which, when taken together, will render most identifiable. The occasional bird, however, will have to be left unidentified. Most authors recognise at least five forms grouped into three species, but their taxonomy is far from settled. The three most commonly encountered forms (representing all three…

Basic Principles Europe is home to four small yellow and green finches. In Britain the default option is Eurasian Siskin, but in central and southern Europe it needs to be distinguished from the rather common European Serin and, in the Alps and Pyrenees, from Citril Finch. The fourth, Corsican Finch, is restricted to Corsica and the Italian islands of Sardinia, Elba, Capraia and Gorgona, so isn’t treated here. Eurasian Siskin This is a widespread species which breeds across the Palearctic from Ireland in the west to Kamchatka in the east. There is, however, a gap in its distribution in southern Siberia. In some parts of its range it is resident, but more northerly populations can make long-distance movements and winter well to the south, as far as North Africa in…

Basic Principles Small brown buntings can be a troublesome group, and no more so than in mid to late autumn when the range of possible species is greatest. Here we will focus on the familiar default species, Reed Bunting, and its separation from the most regular of the rare buntings, Little and Rustic. Also included is a brief treatment of two real ‘long shots’, Pallas’s Reed and Chestnut-eared Buntings. Reed Bunting This is the typical ‘brown streaky bunting’. Though the black-headed and snowy-collared males are a familiar sight in spring, singing from prominent perches, females and all autumn birds are much less striking and prefer to skulk away with nervous tail-flicks. Reed Bunting is common in much of Britain. It usually frequents wetland sites, but can also be found in…

Basic Principles Sparrows are among our most familiar birds – or at least they used to be. Both native species – House and Tree Sparrows – are sadly now Red-listed as Birds of Conservation Concern. Whereas once we might have said “it’s just a sparrow,” today we ought to more fully appreciate what are, in reality, charming and charismatic birds. House Sparrow This species occurs throughout Britain in farmland, suburban areas and even in towns and cities. However, its numbers are in decline, particularly in built-up areas. The causes of this fall have attracted much speculation, but changing agricultural practices, urban pollution and the relentless ‘tidying’ of green spaces all probably play a part. Away from Britain, House Sparrow has a large, almost world-wide range, extending across Europe and much…

Basic Principles The small finches are all charming and charismatic. Among them, the group of three small brown species – Common Linnet, Twite and Lesser Redpoll – can, however, sometimes cause identification difficulties. This guide seeks to untangle the problems. Common Linnet This species occurs across the whole of Europe (apart from the far north), and more patchily in North Africa, southern Russia and Central Asia. It is both a resident and partial migrant, with northernmost populations withdrawing south in winter. In Britain Common Linnet breeds in open country with bushes and is particularly associated with heathland. In winter it is a declining but still characteristic farmland bird and in some locations may be encountered in flocks of up to several hundred. It also winters in coastal areas, however, for…

Basic Principles Ortolan Bunting is a scarce migrant in Britain, with a total of 2,534 recorded during the 48 years from 1968 to 2015 (White and Kehoe 2017). As the graph below shows, the highest totals were in the late Sixties, when there was an annual mean of 87. The lowest totals came in 2000-2009, with an annual average of 42, and this fell further to a mean of just 31 annually during the following six years. These figures reflect a steep decline in the European breeding population, beginning in the 1930s, accelerating into the 1960s, and continuing to the present day. This largely relates to agricultural intensification, including the use of pesticides. The highest total ever recorded in Britain was a remarkable 100 estimated on St Agnes, Scilly, on…

Basic Principles Redpolls are delightful small finches, found throughout the northern regions of the Holarctic. They are highly nomadic and irruptive and are capable of travelling large distances. They can, therefore, turn up well outside their home range and any redpoll-watcher should be alert to the possibility of vagrant birds. In fact, a British observer could encounter any of the world’s redpoll forms. Redpolls are notoriously problematic to identify. There is considerable sex, age and seasonal variation in their plumages and much character overlap between forms in both measurements and plumage. Familiarity with one’s local redpolls (in Britain, Lesser Redpoll and sometimes Mealy) is essential, and when confronted with an unusual redpoll it is important to secure as much documentation as possible in the form of notes, sketches, photographs and…

Basic Principles Eurasian Bullfinch breeds commonly across most of Britain, where it is largely sedentary. One of our most beautiful birds, it is notoriously shy and retiring, especially in the breeding season, typically giving away its presence only by quiet, rather plaintive calls. Outside the breeding season it can be a little more obliging, often appearing in pairs or small groups and feeding on the margins of flocks of other finches. In Britain Eurasian Bullfinch is represented by the endemic subspecies pileata, known as ‘British’ Bullfinch. The species has a large Palearctic range, however, extending to the Pacific and comprising multiple subspecies. The only one of these confirmed to occur in Britain is nominate pyrrhula, known as ‘Northern’ Bullfinch, which breeds from central Europe through Scandinavia and across the whole…