The Corn Bunting is a streaked brown bunting with a sturdy yellow bill. It often uses open farmland and pasture.
It is larger and more robust than a sparrow, with brown streaks on the back and chest, paler underparts, and a stout yellow bill.
The study describes Corn Buntings as red-listed in the United Kingdom; they nest on the ground in farmland. At Westmill Solar Park in Oxfordshire, researchers recorded five nests during 2019–2023 and studied 36 nests within about one kilometre of the boundary. They recorded clutch size, fledged young, nest success, and causes of failure. This was the first published record of a ground-nesting farmland bird breeding at a UK solar park.
In focal watches, foraging took the largest share of the birds’ observed time inside the park. Adults were also seen carrying food beyond the fence, showing that birds used the site during breeding. Westmill has an open layout and low-intervention management. The study links nest records with observed foraging at this particular solar park.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Researchers recorded five Corn Bunting nests at a UK solar park. Foraging took the largest share of observed time inside the site, and some adults carried food beyond its fence.