
Reed bunting – Locustella luscinioides
Classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Class: Aves
- Order: Passeriformes
- Family: Emberizidae
- Genre: Locustella
- Species: Locustella luscinioides
Identification characters
It is a medium-sized prey with a body length of 13.5-15.5 cm. Weighs 10-28 g.
The plumage is predominantly brown and yellowish-white with black stripes and white tail sides. The cheeks are slightly blackish and the legs are reddish-brown or black.
The species is sexually dimorphic. In summer the male has a black head and throat with a white stripe on the neck and whisker. Males are usually distinguished by a dark or irregularly mottled throat. Females have an unblemished, yellowish-white throat centre with distinct black lines down the sides.
The suralps are small, reddish-brown. The cheeks are slightly blackish. Legs are reddish brown or black.
Although the reed bunting is a discreet species, well camouflaged in the vegetation, in the nesting season the male can easily be seen and heard singing from reed stems or from the tops of bushes.