Distribution and population trend of the Reed Bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, breeding in Italy in the years 1980-2010.

The present breeding range of the Reed Bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, in Italy is mainly centered in the northern regions, where there is a fairly homogeneous distribution in the east-central Po Valley and along the northern Adriatic coast. On the contrary, in the remaining parts of continental Italy (Tuscany, Abruzzo, Molise, Apulia) and in Sicily, the species is rare or occasionally present. Most birds belong to the ssp. intermedia (“thick-billed”), with only small numbers of the ssp. schoeniclus (“thinbilled”), mainly located in the foothills and lower Alps, in the provinces from Varese to Belluno. In the past three decades, and mainly since 2000, there have been both a reduction in the breeding range and a decrease in numbers, with about 1000-3000 breeding pairs remaining (10,000-30,000 breeding pairs in the mid 80’s).