Species

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Species	Cirl bunting - Emberiza cirlus, bird
Habitat	SPECIES RICH HEDGES ARABLE FARMLAND UNIMPROVED NEUTRAL GRASSLAND
Background and status	This little bird is very important to the South West - it was first discovered in Britain in South Devon, in 1800. It then colonised much of Southern England until the 1960s when it slowly started to decline. By 1989, it was reduced to around 130 pairs which were mostly in Devon and it is now one of Britain’s rarest residents. It is primarily found around the Mediterranean countries where it has also declined. The cirl bunting prefers lowland arable farmland and grassland, mostly nesting in thorny hedgerow bushes, such as hawthorn and gorse. The British cirl bunting population is mainly sedentary and is mostly found on the coastal strip between Plymouth and Exeter; there are also pockets of birds on the south-east Cornish coast but these have greatly declined. Early in the season, chicks are fed on grasshoppers, caterpillars, spiders and beetles; insects form thier main diet particulary on fine days and in wet weather they eat cereal grains. However, many chicks die in long periods of wet weather through starvation. By 1997 there were 350-400 pairs mainly restricted to south Devon
Main Threats	Changes in farming resulting in less food in the form of insects and seeds and loss of nesting sites: Loss of mixed farming in favour of specialisation Loss of spring-sown cereals and stubbles left over winter Loss of unimproved pasture Loss of hedges and scrub.
Conservation and targets	In the short term, maintain the upward trend in numbers and increase in distribution (within current range) of the cirl bunting population in the UK Increase the UK population to 550 territories by the year 2003. As a result of RSPB research, enough is now known about the most important requirements of cirl buntings to enable direct conservation action to be taken, mainly through a project officer funded by an RSPB/EN Species Recovery Project, with support of a range of other partners including MAFF and local authorities. The project officer gives practical advice to landowners, local authorities, and others on how to conserve cirl buntings. Farmers in key areas have been persuaded to retain stubble fields through the winter and these have been well used by cirl buntings. This has mainly been achieved through Countryside Stewardship agreements. In the long term, ensure a wider geographical spread of the cirl bunting by re-establishing populations outside the current (1997) range.