The Dunnock (Prunella modularis) is a small passerine, or perching and singing bird in the accentor family. It is also called the Hedge Accentor, the Hedge Sparrow, or the Hedge Warbler. 

The Dunnock is a brown bird with streaks of darker brown on its back. Its underbelly is light-brown. It has a blue-grey head. It has a fine-pointed beak. It has pink legs. The male and female look similar. 

It grows to about 14 centimetres (5 inches) tall. 

It is found in temperate zones in Europe, partly into Asia, and into Lebanon, northern Iran, and the Caucasus.

It prefers woodlands, shrubs, and gardens. 

It feeds on the ground. It likes eating detritus, such as the dead skin of animals.

It builds a nest of twigs and moss, lined with wool or feathers, in a low bush or in a conifer tree. The female lays 3-5 eggs, which hatch in 12-13 days. 

The chicks are born altricial—naked, blind, and helpless. It takes 15-18 days for the chicks to gain their flight feathers.

The Dunnock lives, on average, for 2 years.

Location of photographs: Paris, France

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM