- Black-headed Bunting
Taxobox
name = Black-headed Bunting
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo =Passeriformes
familia =Emberizidae
genus = "Emberiza "
species = "E. melanocephala"
binomial = "Emberiza melanocephala"
binomial_authority = Scopoli, 1769The Black-headed Bunting, "Emberiza melanocephala", is a
passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from thefinch es, Fringillidae.It breeds in southeast
Europe east toIran . It is migratory, wintering inIndia . It is a rare but regular wanderer to western Europe.Black-headed Bunting breeds in open scrubby areas including agricultural land. It lays 4-6 eggs in a nest in a tree or bush. Its natural food consists of insects when feeding young, and otherwise seeds.
This bird is 17cm long, larger than
Reed Bunting , and long-tailed. The breeding male has bright yellow underparts, chestnut upperparts and a black hood.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 the closely related
Red-headed Bunting .The call is a soft "zrit", and the song is a jerky " zrit..zrit…zrit…srut..srut…srut".
References
* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
External links
* [http://www.birdpix.nl/album_page.php?pic_id=117420&recent=1&sid=bd4a2a8b50c5b667467126750c9e8948 Black-Headed Bunting From Turkey]
* [http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?action=searchresult&Bird_ID=1917 OBC] 16 photographs (see pulldown menu at page bottom)
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