Dunnock system can be shifted from one that favours female success (polyandry), to one that promotes male success (monogamy, polygynandry, or polygyny). The dunnock builds a neat nest (predominantly from twigs and moss and lined with soft materials such as wool or feathers), low in a bush or conifer, where adults typically lay three to five unspotted blue eggs. Broods, depending on the population, can be raised by a lone female, multiple females with the part-time help of a male, multiple females with full-time help by a male, or by multiple females and multiple males. In pairs, the male and the
European Bird Census Council forces behind population changes and use common bird indicators as a proxy for environmental health, and thus inform policy. Monitoring data is published as the European Breeding Birds Atlas, the second of which (EBBA2) is currently in preparation. The data collected as part of the PECBMS and EBBA2 programmes is also distributed on the EBCC-run portal, EuroBirdPortal, as well as through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The EBCC run a conference every three years, devoted to ornithological monitoring, conservation and research in Europe and abroad. The organisation also publishes the Journal of the European Bird Census Council, entitled "Bird