Dunnock

The Dunnock is a small, plain brown bird often mistaken for a sparrow. It has a slender, pointed bill and a blue-grey head and chest. Its back is warm brown with darker streaks, and it has pinkish legs. Instead of hopping, it moves with a unique shuffling walk close to the ground, often flicking its wings nervously. The Dunnock is common and found all over Britain and Ireland. It lives in gardens, hedges, woodland edges, and scrubby places. It likes thick undergrowth where it quietly looks for insects and seeds, usually staying close to cover. Its thin, high-pitched song is surprisingly pleasant for such a modest bird. The Dunnock is also known for its complicated mating habits, although you need to watch carefully to see this behaviour in the wild.