For the first time this century, a Cirl Bunting has been seen in Sussex. The species bred in the county until the early 1980s but it became a major rarity since its local extinction as a breeding bird. The last accepted record involved a male at Sidlesham, West Sussex, in March 1996, which was also the only county record of Cirl Bunting in the 1990s.

A male Cirl Bunting has been found on the South Downs in Sussex, representing the first sighting of the species in the county this century.

Cirl Bunting bred in Sussex until the early 1980s, but had become a major rarity since its local extinction as a breeding bird. The last accepted record involved a male at Sidlesham, West Sussex, in March 1996, which was also the only county record of the species in the 1990s.

Records outside of the birds’ restricted UK range in Devon and Cornwall have increased in recent years, with sightings in Dorset becoming regular, leading to breeding at Portland in 2023.