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bird Dunnocks

Identify It >   Birds Section >   Dunnocks >



Scientific name:  Prunella modularis

Size:  Up to 145mm

Distribution:  Found throughout the UK

Months seen:  All year round

Habitat:  Parks, gardens, open woodland and areas with hedges and scrub

Food:  Invertebrates and seeds

Special features:  The dunnocks plumage is similar to the house sparrow, being mostly brown with black streaks, although the head and neck has a lot of blue-grey colouring and the underparts are generally darker.  The beak is dark coloured and very thin, and the legs are an orange-brown color.  The males and females are similar but the male frequently has more of the blue-grey colouring on the head.

Dunnocks are shy birds and like to be close to cover.  Their flight is very jerky, and they spend a lot of time on the ground.

Dunnocks are sometimes called 'Hedge Sparrows' or 'Hedge Accentors'.

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