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(?) Bunting ID (1 Viewer)

Steve G

RAINBIRDER
Hi All,
Whilst on a very enjoyable family holiday on Lesvos in August I took this image near Kalloni saltpans. The bird was one of three which were feeding on windblown seeds on dried-out rather barren coastal grassland. Judging by the build, bill & general appearance I had thought the bird to be a bunting. It seems pretty tatty & worn & I had thought it to be a moulting adult but of what species?
Lesvos has a number of Bunting species & excluding the rarer vagrants, the list would include: Cinereous, Cretzschmar's,Black-headed, Corn & Cirl. I had thought it to perhaps be a tatty female moulting Cirl bunting but my experience of all these buntings are limited -in Fife its Reed Bunting, Reed Bunting or Reed Bunting (ok, we've got a few Corn too!).
I would be grateful for an ID & especially a brief resume of your reasoning.


Incidentally, I would strongly recommend Lesvos as a SUMMER holiday venue for the birding family man/woman-there is enough to keep the spouse & kids happy & a triplist of in excess of 100 species is possible.
Thanks in anticipation.
 

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Ta Spud,
but why do you think that?............ I thought the same but its well out of normal habitat on baking saline flats (but it's a bird & can turn up anywhere!).
 
I'd say that the bill colour rules out Cretzschmar's and corn, whilst what's left of the head markings would go against cinereous and black-headed - so I'd also have to go with cirl (though it sure is a scruffy looking individual).
 
What surprises me is that it doesn't show the classic Emberiza 'bi-lobed black on brown' tertial pattern — that exposed tertial 'should' look more like the photoshop re-working below . . .

Any explanations?

Michael
 
Steve Garvie said:
my experience of all these buntings are limited -in Fife its Reed Bunting, Reed Bunting or Reed Bunting


My first thought was that this is a Reed Bunting too. They do occur in Turkey, so one in Lesvos shouldn't be out of the question. I don't quite see the Cirl Bunting connection - this bird is far more rufous than any of the birds we get around here!

Darrell
 
Once it's aged (note the old brown outermost primary confirming and adult rather than an unusually heavily moulting juv) the combination of grey lesser-coverts, substantial pale/ white in the old outermost tail feather, grey bill and streaked flanks rule everything else out.

Some pro-Cirl features are not present, such as a prominent dark eyestripe behind the eye (but this area is probably moulting) and there is a lack of rufous tones in the scapulars, but the relevant feathers are actually all missing.

I've never seen a Cirl that actually looked like this bird though.

Spud
 
The bird is missing the central tertial, this is the feather on which the 'bunting wedge' is normally the most prominent. The innermost tertial does show a clear indication of the pattern and the absence on the outermost tertial shouldn't be too consequential.

As far as I know the only Palearctic bunting that totally lacks this feature is Grey-necked and it certainly isn't one of them.

Reed Bunting has chestnut lesser coverts at all ages, amongst other differences.

Spud
 
Hi Spud,

Thanks for the clarification.

Looking quickly at the pics in Byers et al. Buntings & Sparrows, House B., Meadow B., Rock B. & allies also seem to either lack it or only have it very weakly (assumes their pics are accurate!!**). Needless to say, Steve's bird isn't any of those either . . .

** which they may not be, as their Cirl pics show it quite marked on even the innermost tertial

Michael
 
Ignore me spud, I posted it this morning (when I was a little worse for wear) just for devilment.
 
According to 'BWP concise' the race of Reed Bunting occuring in the eastern Med area is 'reiseri.'

The only illustration they have included is of an adult male, but it does seem to show a larger bill than the nominate race. In fact, in the 'Geographical variation' section they group all the various races into two 'groups' - the northern, thin-billed 'schoeniclus' group and the southern, thick-billed 'pyrrhuloides' group.
 
Hi Adey,

I think you may have a good suggestion there. A quick look in 'Buntings & Finches' suggests this is a realistic contender - going out birding shortly, but I'll look into it later

Michael
 
Have people forgotten that Reed Bunting ALWAYS has bright rufous lesser coverts irrespective of race, age or sex?. Because a whole row of scapulars are missing far more of the lesser coverts are visible than normal and they all clearly lack the slightest hint of rufous. the pattern of the remaining outer tail feather is wrong for Reed, as is the pattern on the centre of the mantle, I doubt that any Reed ever shows streaking onto the belly or such fine streaking on the flanks and the primary projection is too short etc.

Reed is simply not an option folks.

Spud
 
The apparent tramline coincides in position with a thin grey line on the right side of the bird which is caused by feathering which would normally be invisiblr below the scapulars being exposed. The slightly more prominent nature of the line on the left side is perhaps due to the light hitting it (as it does on an adjacent tertial). The tramlines on e.g. Reed bunting are broad and lie alongside a largely dark (but finely streaked) broad line down the centre of the mantle, something this bird clearly lacks as what feathering which is visible on the mantle appears to consist of uniformly streaked feathers.

There are two choices with this bird: it can either be left unidentified or it can be identified as a Cirl.

In my view there is enough evidence present to confirm this bird as a Cirl. If anybody wants to construct an argument detailing why it is something else I'd be happy to listen and learn.

Spud
 
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