The red-headed bunting (''Emberiza bruniceps'') is a

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the

bunting Bunting may refer to: Animals Birds * Bunting (bird) or Emberizidae, a family of Eurasian and African passerine birds * New World buntings or ''Passerina'', a genus of American passerine birds in the family Cardinalidae * Blue bunting, a species ...

family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the

finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

es, Fringillidae. It breeds in central Asia-Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia; Russian Federation (European Russia, Central Asian Russia), Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China. It is migratory, wintering in India and Bangladesh. Its status in western Europe, where it is a potential vagrant, is confused by escapes, especially as this species is more commonly recorded than the closely related black-headed bunting, despite the latter having a more westerly breeding range. Reports in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

have declined dramatically over recent years, coinciding with the decline in some

Emberizidae The buntings are a group of Old World passerine birds forming the genus ''Emberiza'', the only genus in the family Emberizidae. The family contains 45 species. They are seed-eating birds with stubby, conical bills. Taxonomy The family Emberizid ...

species for the impact of Asiatic imports illegal trade. The red-headed bunting breeds in open scrubby areas including agricultural land. It lays three to five eggs in a nest in a tree or bush. Its natural food consists of seeds, or when feeding young, insects. This bird is 17 cm long, larger than

reed bunting The common reed bunting (''Emberiza schoeniclus'') is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name ''Emberiza'' is from Old German ''Embritz'', a ...

, and long-tailed. The breeding male has bright yellow underparts, green upperparts and a brownish-red face and breast. The female is a washed-out version of the male, with paler underparts, a grey-brown back and a greyish head. The juvenile is similar, and both can be difficult to separate from the corresponding plumages of black-headed bunting. The song, given from a high perch, is a jerky ''sweet-sweet-churri-churri-churri''.

Gallery

Emberiza_bruniceps.jpg, Painting Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps male in Jowar crop by Dr. Raju Kasambe DSC 4524.jpg,

Yavatmal Yavatmal ( is a city and municipal council in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Yavatmal District. Yavatmal is around 90 km away from divisional headquarters Amravati while it is away from the stat ...

, Maharashtra, India. Emberiza bruniceps MHNT.ZOO.2011.11.219 Ferghana.jpg, Eggs of ''Emberiza bruniceps '' MHNT Cuculus canorus canorus MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.150.15.jpg, ''Cuculus canorus canorus'' in a clutch of ''Emberiza bruniceps'' MHNT

References

* ''Buntings and Sparrows'' by Byers, Olsson and Curson, {{Taxonbar, from=Q547159 red-headed bunting Birds of Central Asia red-headed bunting