Accentors | Prunellidae

Heggenmussen | Acentores

These are unobtrusive, grey-brown birds with a finely streaked back, a grey head and breast and a thin, pointed bill: in summer they take small insects, in winter mainly seeds. They move mouse-like and low over the ground, shuffling along with quivering wings, usually right at the edge of a bush or a pile of stones, and when disturbed they fly low to the nearest cover. The breeding grounds lie in the low scrub of mountains and tundra, up beyond the treeline. The mating system stands out: in several species a single territory holds a number of males and females mixed together, all of which mate with one another, after which each male feeds the young in proportion to his share of those matings. The nest is a neat little cup of moss and fine twigs, low in a shrub and lined with hair. The song is a short, high, slightly jangling phrase from a bush top or a rock; the call is a thin, trilling tsee-ee. In this region the family appears only as a stray from Asia, in the far west and northwest.