Public asked to watch out for house buntings after three spotted at Europa Point

The Department of the Environment has asked the public to report sightings of house buntings after a group of three was spotted in the Europa Point area.

The North African species has recently started to colonise Europe and has appeared occasionally in Gibraltar over the past few years.

House buntings have begun nesting in Algeciras and La Linea, the first nesting sites for the species in Europe, according to the Gibraltar Government.

The department said other birds could be present in Gibraltar and may already have nested here unnoticed. It is keen to know whether the birds have established themselves on the Rock, hence the public appeal.

The birds are small and rusty coloured, behave similarly to sparrows and can be found in built-up areas.

The Minister for the Environment, Dr John Cortes, pointed to the public’s response to an earlier appeal for information about barn swallows.

“The call earlier this year successfully identified the nesting site for the first barn swallow to nest on the Rock for 55 years, a public response that was much appreciated and that suggests that if the buntings are here, together we will find them," he said.

Anyone who spots a house bunting in Gibraltar is asked to report the sighting by email to MHE@gibraltar.gov.gi.