The corn bunting was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae and retains its original binomial name of Emberiza calandra.

[5][6] Two subspecies are recognised:[7] This is an unusual bunting because the plumages of the sexes are similar in appearance, though the male is approximately 20% larger than the female.

This large bulky bunting is 16–19 cm long, with a conspicuously dark eye and yellowish mandibles.

[8] The song of the male is a repetitive metallic sound, usually likened to jangling keys, which is given from a low bush, fence post or telephone wires.

It has declined greatly in north-west Europe due to intensive agricultural practices depriving it of its food supply of weed seeds and insects, the latter especially vital when feeding the young.

Males play only a small role in parental care; they are not involved in nest building or incubation, and only feed the chicks when they are over half grown.