The Common Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) is the sparrow-like bunting of the reed marsh, the male easily recognised by his black head, white moustache stripe and white collar, often seen singing from the top of a reed stem. In breeding plumage the male shows a black head and chin, a white moustache stripe, a white collar and a brown-streaked back, while the female and winter birds are far more subdued, with a brown-streaked crown, a pale eyebrow stripe and a dark moustache stripe framing a paler throat. The tail is relatively long and often flicked, showing white outer feathers in flight; in winter the male's black head is partly obscured by pale feather fringes, so the markings are clearest in spring. It measures about 13–16 cm in length, has a wingspan of 21–28 cm and weighs only 14–22 grams.
The song is simple and somewhat hesitant, a short, monotone phrase often rendered "tsi-tsi-tsi-tsili-tsi" and repeated at regular intervals from an exposed reed or bush; the contact call is a thin, falling "tsiu." Despite its modest song, the bird is easy to locate thanks to its habit of singing in plain view. It occurs across almost all of Sweden, with a population of roughly 200,000–400,000 pairs, though it has declined and is classed Near Threatened on the Swedish red list. Most are short-distance migrants, arriving in April and leaving in autumn, though some overwinter in the south. It favours reed marshes, sedge fens and damp scrub, and also occurs in mountain willow belts. The nest is built on the ground or very low in dense vegetation near water, with a usual clutch of 4–5 eggs fed by both parents; adults disturbed near the nest often perform distraction displays to lure predators away. Outside the breeding season the diet is dominated by seeds from grasses, sedges and herbs, with insects making up a larger share in summer when chicks are growing.
Read about this species in Swedish →