# Dunnock (*Prunella modularis*)

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

The dunnock (Prunella modularis) is a small bird in the songbirds and other perching birds subgroup, belonging to the order Passeriformes and the family Prunellidae. Adults weigh 20.24 g, with reported values from 20.05 g to 20.7 g, and the wingspan is 21 cm. It is a sedentary, terrestrial invertivore of forest habitat, with a trophic level classed as omnivore. The dunnock lays 4.9 eggs per clutch and 2.5 clutches per year, and the IUCN Red List assesses it as Least Concern, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 20.1 g – 20.7 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 21 cm |
| Lifespan | 10.4 years – 20.8 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Egg incubation | 12.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.9 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2.5 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Sedentary |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Passeriformes
- family: Prunellidae
- genus: Prunella
- species: *Prunella modularis* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Accentor familiaris*, *Accentor modularis*, *Curruca eliotae*, *Motacilla modularis*, *Motacilla plumbea*, *Sylvia modularis*, *Tarrhaleus modularis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a dunnock?

The dunnock is a small bird in the songbirds and other perching birds subgroup, in the order Passeriformes and the family Prunellidae.

### What does the dunnock eat?

The dunnock is an invertivore, and its trophic level is classed as omnivore.

### How much does a dunnock weigh?

An adult Dunnock weighs 20.24 g, with reported values from 20.05 g to 20.7 g.

### How long does a dunnock live?

The dunnock's lifespan is 10.35 years, with reported values up to 20.83 years.

### Is the dunnock endangered?

No. The dunnock is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How many eggs does a dunnock lay?

The dunnock lays 4.9 eggs per clutch and 2.5 clutches per year, with an incubation period of 12.5 days.

### Who named the dunnock?

The dunnock, Prunella modularis, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).

### What are other names for the dunnock?

Other English names for the dunnock are Billy, Hedgepop, Hedge Mike, Blue Isaac and Hedge Betty.

## 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: Dunnock (Prunella modularis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/dunnock