Birds Active during the day

Cirl Bunting

Emberiza cirlus

iNaturalist eBird Wikipedia

A hidden treasure of the Mediterranean and the Devon coast, the Cirl Bunting is a master of the hedgerow. With its striking black-and-yellow mask and a song that signals the heat of summer, this resilient bird is a favorite for those who know where to look.

0 Sightings

0 Habitats

Quick Identification

straighten

Size

Length: 15–16.5 cm (6 in); Wingspan: 22–25.5 cm (8.5–10 in); Weight: 20–25 g (0.7–0.9 oz)

palette

Colors

Males have a black throat, black eye-stripe, yellow head stripes, and an olive-green breast band. Females are streaky brown with a distinctive olive-grey rump.

visibility

Key Features

Bold black throat and eye-stripe on males
Olive-green band across the upper breast
Dull olive-grey rump (distinguishes from Yellowhammer)
Yellow underparts with subtle flank streaking
Thick, grey seed-cracking bill

When You’ll See Them

schedule

Activity pattern Active during the day

brightness_5

Peak hours 6-10 AM, 3-6 PM

calendar_month

Season Year-round; most visible April-August during breeding

restaurant

Diet Primarily granivorous, eating small seeds and cereal grains in winter; shifts to an insectivorous diet (grasshoppers, crickets, and spiders) in summer to feed chicks.

park

Habitat Traditional farmland with thick hedgerows, sun-drenched coastal scrub, and suburban gardens near rural edges.

public Geographic range

Where Does the Cirl Bunting Live?

Native to the warmer regions of Europe and North Africa, the Cirl Bunting is most at home across the Mediterranean basin, from Portugal and Spain through France to Italy and Greece. It maintains a famous northern outpost in Southwest England, specifically within the county of Devon, where dedicated conservation efforts have brought the population back from the brink. It is a resident species throughout its range, rarely wandering far from its preferred warm, low-lying coastal and agricultural landscapes.

Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors

10 Countries

2.4M km² Range

Least Concern Conservation

ES Spain FR France IT Italy GB United Kingdom Greece PT Portugal Turkey Morocco Algeria Tunisia

eco

iNaturalist / Verified observation data

View on iNaturalist open_in_new

Explore more Birds arrow_forward

Behavior

Cirl Buntings are notoriously shy and retiring birds, often preferring the safety of dense hedgerows to open ground. Unlike many other buntings, they are largely sedentary, rarely moving more than a few kilometers from their birthplace. They spend much of their time foraging on the ground, moving with a quiet, hopping gait as they search for fallen seeds or insects.

During the breeding season, males become more conspicuous, choosing high, exposed song-posts—often the top of a tall hedge or a telegraph pole—to deliver their rapid, rattling trill. While they are solitary nesters, they may form small, loose-knit flocks during the winter months, occasionally mingling with other finches and buntings to exploit rich food sources like winter stubble fields or bird tables in quiet gardens.

photo_camera EverydayEarth exclusive

Camera Tips

To capture the elusive Cirl Bunting on camera, focus on the 'transition zones' of your garden or property. These birds are edge-dwellers that rarely venture far from dense cover. Position your camera about 0.5 to 1 meter (1.5–3 feet) off the ground, aiming it toward a patch of bare earth or short grass located within two meters of a thick hedge or evergreen shrub. This provides the birds with the security they need to land and forage.

Baiting is highly effective for this species, especially in the colder months. Rather than using hanging feeders, which they often avoid, scatter a 'Cirl Bunting mix' of small seeds like red millet, canary seed, and crushed sunflower hearts directly on the ground. To keep the birds in the frame longer, place the seeds in a small, shallow depression or among some flat stones. In the summer, providing a shallow ground-level birdbath can also be a significant draw, as they need to drink and bathe frequently in their dry, sunny habitats.

Set your camera to a high trigger sensitivity and use the video mode with a 10-20 second duration. Cirl Buntings move with quick, jerky motions that can sometimes fail to trigger slower sensors. If your camera allows for it, use a 'burst' photo mode of 3-5 frames to ensure you catch the male's striking facial markings. Because they are most active in the early morning, ensure your camera is positioned to avoid direct sunrise glare, which can wash out the subtle olive tones of their plumage.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Cirl Bunting.

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammers have a bright chestnut rump and a much yellower head without the Cirl Bunting's black throat and eye-stripe.

Reed Bunting

Male Reed Buntings have a solid black head and a white collar, and they prefer much wetter, marshy habitats.

Corn Bunting

The Corn Bunting is larger, bulkier, and has a very plain, streaky brown appearance without any of the Cirl Bunting's yellow or black markings.

Browse all Birds arrow_forward

Frequently Asked Questions

Cirl Buntings are most active during the early morning hours, starting shortly after sunrise, and again in the late afternoon. Males are particularly vocal and easier to spot while singing during these periods in the spring and summer.

Attract them by scattering small seeds like millet and canary seed on the ground near dense hedges. They prefer quiet, undisturbed corners of the garden and are more likely to visit if you provide thick cover and a ground-level water source.

Their diet consists mainly of seeds from grasses and weeds, as well as waste grain from farming. During the breeding season, they switch to catching insects, specifically favoring grasshoppers and crickets to feed their young.

They are uncommon in dense urban areas but can be found in suburban gardens that are on the edge of the countryside or coast, especially in South West England and throughout Southern Europe.

The easiest way to tell them apart is the rump; the Cirl Bunting has a dull olive-grey rump, while the Yellowhammer has a bright chestnut-brown one. Additionally, male Cirl Buntings have a bold black throat and eye-stripe which Yellowhammers lack.

Record Cirl Bunting at your habitat

Connect a camera to start building your own species record — AI identifies every visitor automatically.

Join free Identify a photo