Corn Buntings are bigger and plumper than other buntings, streaky brown in all plumages, with a heavier and more distinctly notched bill. In flight they lack white outer tail feathers and frequently leave their legs dangling.

There are 3-7 million breeding pairs widespread in Europe where they are commonly seen on roadside wires. More than half of these are in Spain. Other large populations live in Portugal, France, Italy and Greece, where this photograph was taken
.
Following an earlier, historical decrease, Corn Buntings declined very steeply between the mid 1970s and mid 1980s, withdrawing then from large areas of their former range. Subsequently the decline has continued at a much-reduced rate.