Dunnock

Dunnock Facts (Prunella Modularis)

Size: 14.5 cm head to tail

Weight: 16-25g

Wingspan: 19-21 cm

Eggs: 4-6 per brood

Food: Insects, seeds, spiders, berries, All Year Ground/Table Mix

Nesting: Made out of twigs moss and covered with hair

Population: Medium conservation concern

Song: Sweet, short, fast and a persistent “tseep”

The Dunnock is a favourite across the UK due to its shyness and similarity to the Robin. Being part of the Prunellidae family they are also known as the Accentors, and its Latin name is Prunella Modularis. Other names the Dunnock is known as are; hedge Accentor, hedge sparrow and the hedge warbler. There are approximately 2,500,000 breeding pairs within the UK.

Appearance

Both male and female Dunnocks are almost identical, they are dull coloured birds and are not always clearly noticeable. The Dunnocks back is made up of different shades of brown and its breast and face is grey. Their bill is black and is small due to its diet of mainly insects. Young Dunnocks have brown faces instead of grey. The Dunnock moves in a jerky way constantly flicking its wings and tail.

Where they are found and what they like to eat

The Dunnock lives in brambles, hedges and anywhere with lots of vegetation. They also like to live in forests and gardens close to the ground for protection. Dunnocks live in the UK all year round, but you may have to look carefully under bushes and hedges to find them.

Their song is sweet and is a persistent “tseep”. To feed these birds you can place the food along the ground near hedges or on a ground feeder, particularly during the winter. They eat a mixture of insects, spiders, seeds and berries, but also take peanut granules and suet from ground tables. We offer a Robin mix and an all year ground mix for the Dunnock.

Breeding

A Dunnocks main reason for breeding is to make sure their genes are passed through to future generations. There are multiple strategies Dunnocks may use to breed; Polyandry is when females mate with more than one male so that all the males will help raise the chicks. Polygyny where there is more than one female to a single male, and then there is Monogamy when only one female and one male work to produce and feed a brood of chicks.

Breeding season starts in April and they have between 2-3 clutches producing 4-6 eggs. Both adults feed the chicks, then around 12 days after hatching the chicks will fledge the nest. During the breeding season male Dunnocks defend their territory from other Dunnocks by singing.

Nesting and Territory

Females build the nest in hedges and covered areas from twigs and moss, lined with hair in a cup shape. The eggs are glossy and blue and range from 14mm to 19mm. Territory size depends on the availability of food, if food is widely available territories don’t tend to be as large so they are less likely to overlap with other wild bird territories. Dunnocks nests are often taken over by Cuckoos, the Dunnock does not notice the change in eggs and will continue to sit on the nest as if they are her own.

Extra Information

The Dunnock is on medium conservation concern after serious decline in numbers during the 1980’s. Dunnock numbers are struggling to recover due to the changes in the bird’s natural habitat.