#dunnock

continuing my series of bird neighbour portraits - is there a more overlooked bird than the humble dunnock? the ultimate LBJ

Blackbird/koltrast, Eurasian nuthatch/nötväcka, Dunnock/järnsparv, and Great tit/talgoxe. Värmland, Sweden (5 April 2021).

the dunnock is a small passerine bird found in temperate europe and parts of asia. they have also been introduced into aotearoa/new zealand. they are robin-sized birds, brown overall with black streaking. their somewhat drab appearance may have evolved to serve as camouflage against predators. both sexes are similarly colored, but juveniles are more streaked overall and have browner heads. this bird has earned the nickname ‘shufflewing’ due to their frequent wing flicking, which is often used when competing for a mate or during territorial disputes. while males can share a territory, there is a strict dominance hierarchy, and close male relatives almost never share a territory. females are often polyandrous, breeding with two or more males during one breeding season; chicks within one brood often have different fathers. males try to ensure their paternity over others by pecking at the cloaca of the female to stimulate ejection of rival males' sperm. dunnocks can mate within one-tenth of a second, and can do so more than 100 times in one day. the young may be raised by combinations of parental arrangements - one female and multiple males, multiple females and one male, and various other combinations are all common. males will feed the young indiscriminately, but will offer more support to the nests of females they had greater access to (along with a higher chance of fertilization).

Heckenbraunelle (dunnock) auf dem Blauen Weg, Stuttgart-West.

I'm taking a break from Tumblr — one that might last a little while. Before I go, I'm posting a few bird photos that I took at various locations over the past few weeks. I hope to be back soon.

watercolor and white gouache, 2025

Wikipedia describes them as drab, whick strikes me as a little rude. I think they look quite smart, and they're often pleasingly round.

Dunnock feeding a cuckoo By: Stephen Dalton From: Natural History Magazine 1989