Bird guide · Prunella modularis
Dunnock
What the dunnock eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from across the UK.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 5.5 in (14 cm)
- Eats
- seed mixes, sunflower hearts
- Feeds
- ground
- Most common
- Wales, England, Northern Ireland
Food
What do dunnocks eat?
At feeders, dunnocks take seed mixes, sunflower hearts.
Creeps along flower beds and under bushes with a nervous, shuffling gait, flicking its wings.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do dunnocks live?
Throughout Britain and Ireland except the highest Scottish peaks; Amber-listed. By share of all bird sightings, dunnocks are most common in Wales (1.9%).
Nations where dunnocks are most common
- Wales1.9%
- England1.7%
- Northern Ireland1.6%
- Scotland1.3%
Share of all bird sightings in each nation that are dunnocks, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the dunnock migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in March.
Share of all bird sightings in the UK that are dunnocks, by month.
Identification
How to identify the dunnock
Adults: Small brown and grey bird with a streaked brown back and a thin bill.
Size: 5.5 in (14 cm)
On camera
Getting the dunnock on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
Dunnock: questions
What do dunnocks eat?
At feeders, seed mixes, sunflower hearts.
Do dunnocks migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in March.
Where do dunnocks live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Wales, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland.
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