- Cape Bunting
Taxobox
name = Cape Bunting
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
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regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo =Passeriformes
familia =Emberizidae
genus = "Emberiza "
species = "E. capensis"
binomial = "Emberiza capensis"
binomial_authority = Linnaeus, 1766The Cape Bunting, "Emberiza capensis", is a
passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It occurs in southernAfrica from southwesternAngola , easternZambia ,Zimbabwe and southernTanzania to the CapeIts habitat is rocky slopes and dry weedy scrub, mainly in mountains in the north of its range. Its lined cup nest is built low in a shrub or tussock. The 2-4 eggs are cream and marked with red-brown and lilac.
The Cape Bunting is 16cm long. The adult has a black crown, white
supercilium and black-bordered white ear coverts. The upperparts are grey brown with some dark streaks, and the wing coverts are chestnut. The tail is darker chestnut, and the underparts are grey with a pale throat. The sexes are very similar, but females may have a buff tone to the white head markings. Young birds have duller chestnut wings, a less distinct head pattern, and heavier streaking extending on to the breast and flanks.There are a dozen subspecies, differing in plumage, but all have the distinctive head pattern and rufous in the wings. The northeastern race "E. c. vincenti" is very dark above, and slaty below. It has reduced chestnut on the wing coverts. It is sometimes raised to species status as Vincent's Bunting "Emberiza vincenti".
The Cape Bunting is not gregarious, and is normally seen alone, in pairs or family groups. It feeds on the ground on seeds, insects and spiders.
The Cape Bunting’s call is an ascending "zzoo-zeh-zee-zee". The song is a loud chirping "chup chup chup chup chee chhep chu". "E. c. vincenti" has a simple "tre-re-ret tre-re-ret" song.
This species previously utilized stony arid areas with some short grass, but much of this has been lost to ploughing.
References
* Byers, Olsson and Curson, "Buntings and Sparrows" ISBN 1-873403-19-4
* Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey and Warwick Tarboton, "SASOL Birds of Southern Africa" (Struik 2002) ISBN 1-86872-721-1
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