Alternative name: Grey-headed Bunting
- Emberiza fucata
Identification
16 cm (6¼ in)
Male
- Brown plumage
- Grey crown and nape with dark streaks
- Chestnut ear-coverts
- Black and chestnut breast bands
- Rufous shoulder patch
- Rufous rump
Female: similar to males, duller, less distinct head and breast pattern
Distribution
Asia: found in Russia, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Bangladesh, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Malay Peninsula
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[1]:
- E. f. arcuata:
- Himalayas (Pakistan to Bangladesh; northern Yunnan); winters to Myanmar
- E. f. fucata:
- E. f. kuatunensis:
- Southern China (Jiangsu to Guangdong and southern Yunnan)
Habitat
Fields, riparian vegetation, grasslands, wetlands and scrub.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of grass seeds, with the addition of some insects. They feed on the ground.
Breeding
They build a cup-shaped nest from blades of grass, on the ground or low in a bush. The 3-6 whitish eggs have reddish-brown specks and are incubated for 12 days. There may be a second brood
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Feb 2018)
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Chestnut-eared Bunting. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-eared_Bunting
