The accentors are a genus of birds in the family Prunellidae, which is endemic to the Old World. This small group of closely related passerines are all in the genus Prunella. All but the dunnock and the Japanese accentor are inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Europe and Asia; these two also occur in lowland areas, as does the Siberian accentor in the far north of Siberia. These birds are not strongly migratory, but they will leave the coldest parts of their range in winter and make altitudinal movements. Although the genus is usually used for all the accentors, the alpine accentor and Altai accentor are sometimes separated into the genus Laiscopus.
Harrison used the group name dunnock for all of the species, not just Prunella modularis (thus e.g. Japanese dunnock for P. rubida); this usage is based on the oldest known name for any of the species (old English dun-, brown, + -ock, small: "little brown bird"). Accentor derives from the old scientific name for the Alpine accentor (Accentor collaris). It comes from Late Latin, meaning "sing with another" (ad + cantor). The genus name Prunella is from the German Braunelle, "dunnock", a diminutive of braun, "brown".
Description
These are small, fairly drab species superficially similar, but not closely related to, sparrows. They are 14 to 18 cm in length, and weigh between 25 and 35 g. However, accentors have thin sharp bills, reflecting their diet of ground-dwelling insects in summer, augmented with small seeds and berries in winter. They may also swallow grit and sand to help their stomach break up these seeds.
Most of the species live together in flocks. The dunnock is an exception since it prefers to be solitary except when feeding. The dunnock also earned a nickname of "shuffle-wing" since it most strongly displays the characteristic wing flicks used during courtship and other displays.
- Alpine accentor Prunella collaris
- Altai accentor Prunella himalayana
- Robin accentor Prunella rubeculoides
- Rufous-breasted accentor Prunella strophiata
- Siberian accentor Prunella montanella
- Brown accentor Prunella fulvescens
- Radde's accentor Prunella ocularis (includes the formerly accepted Arabian accentor Prunella fagani, lumped in 2018