Corn Bunting
Jangling keys
The jangling keys theme tune of the corn bunting is not the most melodic of songs but it’s a brilliant way to find a scarce bird of our farmland.
Corn Buntings resemble oversize sparrows, and their rather unathletic appearance has earned them some unflattering traditional names, including ‘fat bird of the barley’ and - my favourite - ‘corn blob’.
These birds were once widespread in arable areas of the countryside, but have declined sharply so there are only around 10,000 pairs left in all of the UK. They appear to have disappeared from Wales entirely, and are clinging on on the east coast of scotland, with birds patchily distributed through lowland areas of England.
So these are not birds you can expect to go out and find in just any farmland.
Where they are still present, the song is a very helpful clue to their presence.
Unlike Skylarks and Meadow Pipts they don’t have a display flight.
Unlike Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers they don’t have any strong colours to catch your eye.
But the song really does sound rather like a set of keys beings jangled.
And they will deliver this song from a fencepost, or a telegraph wire, or while they are perched rather clumsily on the stems of the wheat or barley once the
crop is high enough.
As well as suffering from tidier fields, and fewer insects, it seems that Corn Buntings may not be able to cope with changes to the timings in our crops, including earlier cutting of fields. This is because Corn Buntings are one of our latest breeders, with the first chicks often coming in June or even July. They nest on the ground, often among the crops, making them vulnerable to disturbance.
Fortunately Corn Buntings are still common in much of continental Europe, with something in the region of 50 million pairs. You may have more luck finding them over the Channel.
But given their fondness for more remote tracts of farmland and how easy they are to miss by eye, knowing the jangling keys song will signficantly up your chances of finding a British bird.
If you do come across one consider sharing your find with the local bird recorder or the British Trust for Ornithology, who may be glad to know they are there.