Corn Bunting

Miliaria calandra

Armenian Name: Կորեկնուկ
Corn Bunting

See Plate 54 for Corn Bunting and other similar species

Resident Status: Year-round resident
Abundance: Common
Length:18 cm, Wing Span:26-32 cm
Distribution Map: Map 306.
Description: Stout, rather drab bird with thick pale bill. Gray-brown above; off-white below. Dark streaking on upperparts, head, breast, and flanks; uniform brown tail.
Similar Species: Differs from larks by bulky body, short thick bill, and uniform brown tail.
Behavior: Flight is fast and undulating. Males dangle legs during flights between song-posts. Song is a monotonously-repeated tinkling phrase preceded by two or three stuttering notes.
Habitat: Cultivated fields, pastures, mountain steppe, subalpine meadows.
Food: Seeds, some invertebrates.
Nest: Loose cup of grass on ground in vegetation.
Eggs: 24 mm, 5-6, white, pink spots.