# Corn bunting (*Emberiza calandra*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/corn-bunting  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The corn bunting (Emberiza calandra) is a small bird in the family Emberizidae, part of the songbirds and other perching birds in the order Passeriformes. Adults weigh 48.5 g, with reported values from 44.2 g to 53 g, and the wingspan is 29 cm. It is a terrestrial, partially migratory omnivore of grassland, with a geographic range of 7,484,000 km². Clutches hold 4.5 eggs, with 2 clutches per year and an incubation period of 12.5 days; the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 44.2 g – 53 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 29 cm |
| Lifespan | 10.5 years |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 10.6 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Egg incubation | 12.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.1 – 4.5 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Passeriformes
- family: Emberizidae
- genus: Emberiza
- species: *Emberiza calandra* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Citrinella miliaria*, *Critophaga miliaria*, *Cynchramus miliaria*, *Emberiza calandra*, *Emberiza calandra algeriensis*, *Emberiza calandra clanceyi*, *Emberiza calandra graeca*, *Emberiza calandra insularis*, *Emberiza calandra kleinschmidti*, *Emberiza calandra obscura*, *Emberiza calandra parroti*, *Emberiza calandra sarmatia*, *Emberiza calandra thanneri*, *Emberiza calandra volhynica*, *Emberiza calandra wolhynica*, *Emberiza calandria*, *Emberiza miliaria*, *Fringilla pojer*, *Milaria canescens*, *Miliaria calandra*, *Miliaria calandra caucarica*, *Miliaria calandra ignobilis*, *Miliaria calandra sarmatica*, *Miliaria europaea*, *Miliaria germana*, *Miliaria meridionalis*, *Miliaria miliaria*, *Miliaria minor*, *Miliaria peregrina*, *Miliaria proier*, *Miliaria septentrionalis*, *Miliaria valida*, *Spinus miliaria*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the corn bunting?

The corn bunting is a small bird in the family Emberizidae, grouped with the songbirds and other perching birds.

### How heavy is a corn bunting?

An adult corn bunting weighs 48.5 g, with reported values from 44.2 g to 53 g. Its wingspan is 29 cm.

### What does the corn bunting eat?

The corn bunting is an omnivore.

### Is the corn bunting endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List classifies the corn bunting as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a corn bunting live?

The corn bunting has a lifespan of 10.5 years, with values up to 10.58 years reported.

### How many eggs does a corn bunting lay?

A corn bunting clutch holds 4.5 eggs, with 2 clutches per year. Eggs are incubated for 12.5 days.

### Who named the corn bunting?

The corn bunting, Emberiza calandra, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Corn bunting (Emberiza calandra). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/corn-bunting