Dunnock (Hedge Accentor) Prunella modularis

The Dunnock, Prunella modularis, is a small, quietly charming bird belonging to the family Prunellidae, and a familiar resident of gardens, hedgerows, scrub, and woodland edge throughout Britain. Superficially resembling a House Sparrow in its streaked brown plumage, it is readily distinguished by its slim bill, grey face and breast, and the characteristic shuffling, mouse-like gait with which it forages unobtrusively along the ground. Despite its modest appearance, the Dunnock has a remarkably complex and well-studied mating system, encompassing monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, and polygynandry – making it of considerable interest to behavioural ecologists. Its song is a bright, hurried warble, pleasant but often overlooked, delivered from a prominent perch in most months of the year. Though still widespread and reasonably common, the species has declined in farmland habitats and is an Amber List species in Britain, its fortunes closely tied to the availability of dense, structurally varied scrub and hedgerow. Image: © Stuart Read, Flickr.

Find out more: RSPB, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, iNaturalist