- Emberiza caesia
Identification
Breeding male
- Brown, streaked above
- Rust orange below
- Grey head
- Orange moustachial stripe
- Pink, stout bill
Female
- Weaker head pattern
- Brown rump
- White eye ring
Distribution
Southern Europe to Asia Minor; winters to north-eastern Africa and Arabia
Europe: Balkans, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Crete, Corfu, Lesvos, Rhodes, Malta, Bulgaria
North Africa: Algeria, Libya, Egypt
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia
Middle East: Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan
Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran, Azerbaijan
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Rocky mountain slopes with scattered bushes; scrub and farmland. Wadis, maquis and cultivated areas such as golf courses.
Behaviour
Breeding
It is a ground nester, laying 4-6 eggs.
Diet
The diet includes mainly seeds, though the young are fed insects.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Cretzschmar's Bunting. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cretzschmar%27s_Bunting
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
