Aetos, Greece 11/02/2022 Bunting species? (1 Viewer)

[Benjamin Morris]

I took this recording earlier in the morning. There were 3 or 4 singing individuals but this was the best quality recording I could get. I used the birdnet app and it reckons that I have Cirl Bunting but I just wanted to get some more opinions to be sure as I only briefly saw the singer and not clearly enough to make an ID

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,
yes its a Cirl Bunting. Most similar Serin has a more metallic, "keychain-produced-like" quality.
Similar Black Redstart has a slightly squeezed out quality at the beginning, that seems to be lacking here.

But these are very different birds and I am surely biased by you, who have sdeen the birds and I think you have reckonized a Black Redstart. They normaly sing exposed, many Cirl Buntings do not (and sing from slightly hidden posts)

Please note that one male Cirl Buntings can produce slightly different song types. With this, they can pretend, that there are several males in one territory. There was a note about this in BB many years ago. Surely others here can dig out the reference. Thanks!

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello again,
I am confused. Hearing the recording on another device, it sounds slightly better for a Black Redstart.
I have heard so many of both species over the years, and they are easy to ID against each other in the field.

Which one device should I trust? I hope for others to jump in!

 

[Benjamin Morris]

The area where I recorded this was farmland with small bushes around the edge of the fields if that helps any to eliminate one species or the other

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,

I think Its indeed a Cirl Bunting. But I am on the first device again.