The Reed Bunting likes to live amongst water reeds, but over the years some Reed Buntings have moved to drier places such as farmlands and young forest plantations. Reed Buntings can be seen all over England near rivers, on marshes, on grassland and even in gardens.

The male Reed Bunting is more distinctive-looking than the female because it has a black head, throat and chest. It also has a white stripe on either side of its mouth. The female Reed Bunting has a dull brown head and a creamy white throat and chest with brown streaky lines. The female also has a creamy white stripe on either side of the mouth. The upper part of the male is grey and reddish brown and the upper part of the female is just reddish brown.

Reed Buntings often cling to reeds, but they usually sing on the tops of bushes or on the tops of reed stems. Reed Buntings nervously flick their tails when they sing their simple and repetitive songs. They also spend a lot of time in different types of grasses looking for seeds, caterpillars, spiders and beetles.