Siberian Accentor Prunella montanella Scientific name definitions

13–15 cm; 17·5 g. Male nominate race has greyish-brown crown with black edge, contrasting long, broad creamy-yellow supercilium ; ear-coverts blackish, buff at rear; side of neck grey ; mantle, back and wings brown, mantle with rich chestnut streaks, rump and tail greyish-brown; whitish tips of median and greater wing-coverts form two narrow wingbars (obvious only at close range); throat and breast rich yellow-buff, flanks rich buff, dark chestnut streaks on breast and flanks, creamy central belly shading to greyish on vent; iris yellowish-brown; bill dark, ochre base of lower mandible; legs dull orange-brown. Female differs from male only in having brown less rich and streaks less well defined. Juvenile is less rufous than adult, has duller head pattern and underparts, large brown spots on chest and breast. Race <em>badia</em> is slightly smaller than nominate, also darker, with richer chestnut mantle, deeper ochre-buff underparts, streaks on flanks more rufous.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Breeds in boreal and subarctic zone, chiefly along N limits of coniferous and deciduous forests, in valleys, often close to riverbanks in dense tangles of bushes and trees such as willow (Salix); also in spruce (Picea) taiga, and on mountains to tree-line in sparse spruce and birch (Betula) woodland. In winter , occupies thickets and shrubs, particularly alongside rivers and streams.

Migratory; entire population winters in C & E China and Korea  . Leaves N Urals and E Siberia in early Sept, but present until Oct or Nov in S of breeding range; return passage through Mongolia from late Mar and in E Russia in Apr–May, arrival on N breeding grounds in Jun; S breeding grounds very poorly known, occupied from early May. Vagrants recorded in W and N Europe, Japan and W North America (Alaska , British Columbia , Alberta, Washington, Idaho, Montana) (1 Marks, J. S., P. Hendricks, and D. Casey (2016). Birds of Montana. Buteo Books, Arrington, Virginia, USA. Close ).

Diet mostly insects ; in winter also seeds, including crowberry (Empetrum) Amaranthaceae and Betulaceae. Young fed on insects, especially beetle (Coleoptera) larvae. Forages mainly on ground, by pecking at soil, grass and dead leaves; also in trees and bushes. Foraging sites include those adjacent to snowfields.

Song , from top of bush or tree, melodious and quite powerful, generally reminiscent of P. modularis song; possibly two song types, one close to that of latter, the other more buzzy. Contact call trisyllabic, “dididi”.

Season Jun–Aug; probably double-brooded in S of range, but one brood in Urals. Little information on mating system or territoriality; nominate race recorded in groups of 2–6 pairs, with nests closely spaced, but nests of badia usually far apart. Nest a compact cup of twigs, moss, leaves and plant stems, lined with fine grasses and hairs, built 0·4–8 m above ground in fork of low tree or in thick shrub. Clutch 4–6 eggs; incubation by female, period at one nest 10 days; no further information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Locally common to uncommon or rare. Population in small European part of range estimated to be c. 16,000 pairs; no comparable figures from elsewhere. Variable abundance in breeding areas; in Bol’shezemel’skaya tundra (NW Russia), 3 pairs/km² in fragmented spruce scrub and river terraces, up to 5 pairs/km² in dense riverine birch, willow and juniper (Juniperus) scrub; density also varies annually (dependent on weather conditions), e.g. 7·4 birds/km² bred in Ary-Mas Reserve (in SE Taymyr Peninsula) in 1983, far more than in 1981. Generally scarce in E part of range, although 5 birds/km² in Amur region of Russian Far East. No information on population trends.