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Cirl bunting |
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What do cirl buntings need?
Food - lots of seeds and invertebratesCirl buntings need seeds in winter. Good sources are spilt cereal, the seeds of broad-leaved weeds from winter stubbles, as well as seeds from set-aside and weedy field margins. In spring and summer cirl buntings need invertebrates – grasshoppers are especially important food for chicks. Good feeding areas are semi-improved/unimproved grassland, and rough grass field margins. Safe nest sites - thick hedges and scrubHedges should be thick and between two and four metres tall. Cirl buntings’ favoured nesting sites are hedges that include blackthorn, hawthorn and other native species, and patches of dense scrub (gorse and bramble). Land management changes that caused the decline of the cirl bunting are linked to loss of seed and insect food sources throughout the year. All the measures described on the Helping cirl buntings page will encourage these birds and will also provide important habitats for other farmland wildlife. Many of these management options can be funded through agri-environment schemes. Last modified: 27 June 2005 | In more depthBird guide |
Insect on dewy ears of barley - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Herd of cows, West Sedgemoor RSPB reserve - David Kjaer (rspb-images.com, Ref: D_2006_11413_0029)
Archie Carmichael (L, on tractor) & Gus Keys (R = site manager) in farm yard at Kinnabus. Mull of Oa RSPB reserve. Islay - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com, Ref: D_2005_9857_009)