Callum Macgregor

Common Palaearctic songbird (BirdLife International 2021) with nine subspecies recognized in Europe. Migratory strategies vary from resident/partial migrant (in W and S Europe) to migratory. Winter quarters of European birds chiefly found in France and the S European peninsulas (Prys-Jones 1984).

Season of assessment

B

Population trendDecreasing
Population size
(min-max, best estimate)		9500000-16700000,12300000
Red List categoryLC
Franks, S., Fiedler, W., Arizaga, J., Jiguet, F., Nikolov, B., van der Jeugd, Ambrosini, R, Aizpurua, O., Bairlein, F., Clark, J., Fattorini, N, Hammond, M., Higgins, D, Levering, H., Skellorn, W., Spina, F, Thorup, K. Walker, J., Woodward, I. and Baillie, S.R. (1) (2022) Online Atlas of the movements of European bird populations. https://migrationatlas.org EURING/CMS (1) Principal investigator
Map

Overall Connectivity for Common Reed Bunting

European populations show overall a main NE-SW axis of migration. High overlap in W/SW Europe in winter, especially France and Iberia. Parallel migration patterns, so reed buntings breeding to the E also overwinter further to the E (e.g., W Scandinavian birds overwinter in W Europe, while birds from Finland mostly go to SC Europe -S France, Italy). In Iberia, recoveries across E Spain also have a more E origin than recoveries in W Spain (Villarán 1999). Moreover, some birds from NE Europe (e.g., Finland) show a rather direct N-S axis of migration, so they overwinter in SE Europe, reaching the Balkan peninsula and shores around the Black Sea.

Recoveries by Condition for Common Reed Bunting

Overall, most (>95%) recoveries due to birds captured alive, usually in ringing campaigns. By periods, however, a remarkable fraction of recoveries before 1960 were due to birds found dead by shot (ca. 10%) or other than shot, sick or wounded (15%). This pattern clearly changed during the period 1961-1990, and from 1990 to present the number of birds found dead is absolutely marginal. 

Annual Movements for Common Reed Bunting

Migration in autumn starts in Sep, patent in Oct-Nov. Arrival to winter grounds from Oct to Nov, where the birds remain up to Feb-Mar. Spring migration in Mar-Apr. Arrival to breeding grounds by Apr-May. Differential migration by sex, hence males overwinter in further N regions as compared to females (Prys-Jones 1984, Arizaga et al. 2011). Moreover, males found to be predominant at sites close to presumably obligate migratory pathways, which would allow them to arrive faster to breeding sites as soon as weather conditions improve in spring (Arizaga et al. 2015).

Connectivity by Month by Region for Common Reed Bunting

Migratory populations from C Europe and the Atlantic façade up to N Europe show patent movements in Oct, when they start to reach their winter quarters in W/SW Europe. They remain there until Feb/Mar. Arrival to N breeding quarters in Scandinavia in late Apr/May. Populations from E Europe, up to the circum-Baltic area, also move mainly in Oct, to reach SC Europe, where they remain up to Feb (patent northward migration in Mar). Few data for the Scandinavian birds that move S to the Balkan peninsula and the area surrounding the Black Sea. Recoveries in these southern sites mainly in Feb.

Juan Arizaga

References

Statistics Map
N records N individuals N recoveries
Mapped data*
Total available data
*Mapped data include only distant (>= 50 km) recoveries
References Map
Arizaga, J., Alonso, D., Fernández, E., Martín, D.2011 . Population structure of migrating and wintering reed buntings Emberiza schoeniclus in Northern Iberia. Ardeola 58: 287–301
Arizaga, J., Bota, G., Mazuelas, D., Vera, P.2015 . The roles of environmental and geographic variables in explaining the differential wintering distribution of a migratory passerine in southern Europe. Journal of Ornithology 156: 469–479
BirdLife International 2021 . Species factsheet: Emberiza schoeniclus.
Prys-Jones, R. P.1984 . Migration patterns of the reed bunting Emberiza schoeniclus and the dependence of wintering distribution on environmental conditions. Le Gerfaut 74: 15–37
Villarán, A.1999 . Migración e invernada del escribano palustre (Emberiza schoeniclus) en España. Ardeola 46: 71–80

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