Corn bunting  (Miliaria calandra)

The corn bunting has probably declined due to changes in farming practices, especially the reduction in mixed farming. Extensive use of pesticides has reduced the numbers of arable weed species, an important food source for the adults, and insects, vital for rearing chicks. The switch from spring to autumn-sown cereals and consequent loss of weeds and stubbles, is probably a vital cause of the population drop, as it has led to the loss of both nesting and feeding habitats.

The corn bunting is listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP), and included in English Nature's Species Recovery Programme (SRP). There is no evidence that set-aside has helped improve the numbers of corn buntings, as they have continued to decline, since set-aside was compulsorily introduced in 1993. Agri-environmental schemes, such as the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) provide the best hope of improving the quality of the corn bunting's farmland habitat.