The dunnock gets its name from the Old English word for ‘little brown’ because, from afar, they do look a tad drab. However, if you take a closer look, you’ll see that dunnocks are quite attractive.
The Dunnock is similar in size to the House Sparrow, though it is a sleeker bird with a fine bill. The plumage is rather drab, being a mixture of grey on the head and chest and brown elsewhere. The upperparts and flank are streaked with warm-brown tones.
Dunnocks are usually seen foraging on the ground, shuffling about ‘mouse-like’ in search of food, the tail moving nervously. Young birds have olive-brown eyes, these developing a stunning mahogany-red colour when the young birds reach their first Christmas.
Although some people still refer to the Dunnock as ‘Hedge Sparrow’, the Dunnock is no Sparrow. Instead, it belongs to a family called the accentors. Originating in the Himalayas, these are cover-loving insectivorous birds with sharp, pointed bills. Their bill is thin and black, perfect for eating insects.
The Dunnock, or Hedge Sparrow as we used to call them as young boys that was one of my early introductions into ‘nature’! What young boy didn’t go out looking for birds’ nests in the 1960s? Not many!
Unfortunately the Dunnock's nest was an easy find and the small blue eggs a treasure for any ‘nester’! Thankfully we are now aware of the damage egg collecting does and more ‘interesting’ electronic games have taken over for today’s youngster.
The nest is usually well hidden in fairly dense cover such as a shrub or hedge. It is a deep cup of plant stems, twigs, grasses and other general plant material, then lined with moss and hair etc. Sometimes the old nests of other birds are used and adapted. The female alone constructs the nest and also incubates the eggs, though both sexes feed the young birds.
Two to three broods are typical with the clutch size being 4-5 eggs. Dunnocks are unusual in their breeding behaviour in that male birds may have two females, plus other scenarios occur where two males and two females may, effectively, form one breeding pair.
Unluckily for dunnocks, they are one of the main hosts for the clever cuckoo. A female cuckoo will remove one of the dunnock’s eggs and then lay one of her own. In other hosts, the cuckoo egg matches that of the host. However, this is not the case with dunnocks and the cuckoo egg looks very different from the bright blue egg of the dunnock.
Dunnocks are originally woodland birds, but their association with human habitats has grown and they are now a common garden bird. They mainly feed on insects, but during the winter and early spring will visit bird tables and forage for small seeds. They will also eat finely grated cheese and breadcrumbs.