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Id bunting? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Abraham Shokouhi
- Start date
KenM
Well-known member
Abraham, I can't find anything in Collins that even "remotely" at (3600m elevation) resembles the presumed male on the left of this image. We'll have to wait until the experts put their two cents in, although it might be a long time coming?
A species new to science.....surely not. :eek!:
johnallcock
Well-known member
For me, the male looks a lot like a winter male Black-headed Bunting:
http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_Image_ID=108058&Bird_ID=1917&Bird_Family_ID=&Location=
http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_Image_ID=24445&Bird_ID=1917&Bird_Family_ID=&Location=
Although I don't know why it should look like this on the breeding grounds in July!
http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_Image_ID=108058&Bird_ID=1917&Bird_Family_ID=&Location=
http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_Image_ID=24445&Bird_ID=1917&Bird_Family_ID=&Location=
Although I don't know why it should look like this on the breeding grounds in July!
It doesn't explain the white throat, or greyish tones on the head and mantle, though. There's only a hint of yellow on the flank. Even if it's an aberrant individual, as I said before, 3600 m is quite an altitude for a bird of lowland farmland/open country.
CARERY
Well-known member
That was my thought too. The pp is rather long which would fit. What if it is a first year male with a somewhat delayed moult? Immatures can look very white-throated (link) and winter birds rather greyish on the back (link). Assuming it is a pair, the female certainly looks like a BHB. Still, the altitude seems wrong...
Any chance of more photos?
Terry Smith
Walking Birder
Just fishing here, but has anyone considered Grey-necked Bunting?
KenM
Well-known member
Doesn't say when in July.....could be "returning" passage birds, as I have to assume that passage birds would "have the mechanism to cope with elevation? BHB would be the nearest default species, however it's plumage white throat and partial dark mask, doesn't appear to match anything that I could find on the web.....aberrant...dunno?
Abraham Shokouhi
Well-known member
I was doing my thesis fieldwork on Rock Nuthatches there.I Saw these birds by chance and took just two pictures and they flew away. I had my handheld GPS and point it. So, the elevation is correct
The Summit is almost 4170 m.
Last edited:
Abraham Shokouhi
Well-known member
Just one more photo. It was the first time I saw a bunting in this shape.
Attachments
MJB
Well-known member
I was doing my thesis fieldwork on Rock Nuthatches there.I Saw these birds by chance and took just two pictures and they flee away. I had my handheld GPS and point it. So, the elevation is correct
Checking the elevations in that general region, there is a considerable area over 3500m asl of a reasonably consistent habitat mix. Therefore, from the 'sky island' concept, the Alborz region has the potential for a new (?) regional taxon. There already are a number of essentially Hyrcanian taxa, mostly forest birds.
It would be useful to know which bird skin collectors covered this region, and whether they avoided the high tops. I dare say someone like Kees Roselaar, from his knowledge of collections and collecting history could inform the debate here.
MJB
lou salomon
the birdonist
neither of the two has a bill like in black-headed/red-headed and the male has a rufous rump like e.g. in rock bunting (which looks closest and habitat would fit). the juvenile(?) however looks like an eastern cinereous bunting. quite strange...
jogresh
Bimble and patch
I'd love to know what these birds are! I had assumed they're a pair.
Although i agree the right hand bird does indeed look like Cinereous, i doubt it can be as their distribution stops a long way west of Dizin, according to Birdlife (and they're not really a high Alpine species). I hope someone comes along who can shed some light as the male is a striking bird and the photos aren't too bad...
Although i agree the right hand bird does indeed look like Cinereous, i doubt it can be as their distribution stops a long way west of Dizin, according to Birdlife (and they're not really a high Alpine species). I hope someone comes along who can shed some light as the male is a striking bird and the photos aren't too bad...
