56. Corn Bunting

Two-thirds of our country is farmland or former farmland. Ever the intrepid survivors, some birds have in time learned to live off this widespread human-made habitat, and the Corn Bunting is one of them. Although drab in plumage - it looks like a chunky female sparrow - the Corn Bunting (M: Durrajsa) has this marvellous jangling call you don't easily forget. But sadly, this bird has declined across Europe in recent years, and many BirdLife Partners are trying hard to pinpoint what has caused this decline, the reason most probably being changes in farming practices, use of pesticides etc. It would be such a pity for us to lose yet another species from our meagre list of breeding birds.

Text by Victor Falzon, photo by Denis Cachia.

Copyright to Birdlife Malta.