The corn bunting Miliaria calandra has undergone severe population decline in the Republic of Ireland and other western European countries. By the late 1990s, no corn buntings were known to be breeding in Ireland. The most important factors are thought to be the decline in mixed farming and the loss of temporary grasslands. The use of pesticides may have reduced the availability of invertebrate and seed food supplies.
Authors: Taylor AJ and O'Halloran (2002) Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, vol 102B, no 3, pp 165-175
http://www.ria.ie/cgi-bin/ria/papers/100069.pdf
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