Details
Prunella modularis
A subdued hedge bird with a gray head and brown streaked back, often feeding quietly in gardens and low cover.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Uses hedges, scrub, woodland edges, gardens, parks, and young plantations where dense cover meets open ground.
Gray head and breast contrast with a brown streaked back. The bill is fine, and the body looks slimmer than a sparrow.
It creeps near the ground and gives short calls from cover. Breeding relationships can be complex, involving multiple adults.
Insects, spiders, small invertebrates, and seeds are eaten, with more plant food in autumn and winter.
Cup nests are built low in shrubs or hedges. It is a well-known host species for common cuckoo brood parasitism.
Still common, but overly tidy gardens and loss of hedgerows can reduce the cover it relies on.
