5 things you might not know about the dunnock

2 min read
5 things you might not know about the dunnock

If you hear a rustle in the undergrowth that sounds like a mouse, it might well be a dunnock. It looks plain, but it has one of the most complicated home lives of any garden bird.

1. Females often have more than one mate

A female dunnock is often polyandrous, breeding with two or more males at once, which is quite rare among birds. DNA fingerprinting shows that chicks in a single brood often have different fathers. The males, who each hope they are the dad, help feed the young.

2. The male tries to remove his rival's sperm

This one isn't for the faint hearted, so skip ahead if you'd rather. Before mating, a male dunnock pecks at the female's cloaca, which stimulates her to eject sperm from earlier matings. A male can mate more than a hundred times a day, and each mating takes about a tenth of a second.

3. They are not sparrows

The dunnock is an accentor, not a sparrow, and has a slimmer, more insect-friendly beak. It used to be called a hedge sparrow, and the Anglo-Saxons knew it as hegesugge. The name dunnock combines dun, meaning dull brown, with a diminutive suffix, so it means little brown bird.

4. They flick their wings

Frequent wing flicking, unusual among similar small brown birds, earned it the old nickname shufflewing.

5. They raise cuckoos and don't notice the egg is wrong

A dunnock lays three to five unspotted blue eggs in a nest low in a bush or conifer, and raises two or three broods a year. Dunnocks are also a common host for cuckoos, and the cuckoo egg does not match theirs. Many hosts reject odd-looking eggs, but the dunnock accepts almost any egg as its own, whatever the colour or pattern. One suggestion, from egg-swap experiments with painted fakes by Nick Davies and Michael Brooke, is that dunnocks have only recently become cuckoo victims, so they have not yet evolved a defence.

A little dunnock folklore

In Irish folklore the dunnock is called Bráthair an dreoilín, the wren's brother. Some say the eggs were once strung up as charms to ward off evil spirits.

What dunnocks like to eat, and where

Dunnocks shuffle about on the ground, so scatter a little of our seasonal bird food close to cover or beneath a feeder and they'll go for the sunflower hearts and suet pellets that fall. Fill a Little Lantern seed feeder with it for the other birds. If you are not sure which feeder suits your garden, our feeding quiz will point you in the right direction.

Want to keep track of the dunnocks in your garden? Amidst the Birdsong: A Garden Birdwatcher's Journal is made for exactly that.

Want to read about more garden birds? See all the birds in this series.

While you're here

Because there's always something worth knowing about the birds in your garden.
Clare Cahill

Thank you for reading!

Clare Cahill is a bird enthusiast with a passion for observing and learning. While she definitely doesn’t have a formal degree in ornithology, Clare has dedicated hours to reading birding books and exploring nature, constantly expanding her knowledge and deepening her love for wildlife.

For Clare, birdwatching brings a sense of calm and connection to the world, offering a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. She believes that the more we connect with nature, the more we can do to protect and conserve it. Through her writing, Clare hopes to inspire others to take a moment to pause, look up, and appreciate the calm and connection that comes from letting a little wildness into our everyday lives.

About A Little Bird Co.

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  • What to feed the birds in summer

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    We design our food and select our range of feeders with little birds in mind. Every ingredient in our blends is chosen because small birds love it, simplifying your bird feeding routine. Our feeders provide safe access to food while helping to keep out larger, more dominant species. Look out for robins, blue tits, wrens, finches and more visiting your garden for our food.

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    With birds in your garden, you’re never alone - they’re the friends who always visit. Feeding them supports wildlife conservation while bringing joy and calm. Whether spotting a new species or simply watching their daily routines, just ten minutes a day strengthens your connection with nature and boosts your wellbeing.

When life feels busy, the birds keep it simple.

There’s something lovely about how feeding the birds becomes part of the rhythm of your day. A scoop of seed, a clean dish of water - and then a pause, just to watch who turns up. It doesn’t have to take long, but those moments can be surprisingly grounding. A little burst of mindfulness, fresh air, a chance to notice your garden as it changes throughout the seasons, and the cheerful flutter of wings - it’s good for the soul.

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