Bunting trouble | Kent, UK (1 Viewer)

[louise S]

Hello,

I have a few photos of buntings (or similar) from today in Kent, that I'm having trouble identifying. My guess for the first was reed bunting and the third maybe skylark; no idea about the second. I still find corn bunting/female yellowhammer/reed bunting difficult to distinguish from a distance though.

Any suggestions?
Thanks

 

[kuzeycem]

Corn Bunting, Common Linnet, Eurasian Skylark

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Agree with all the above.

 

[ApusApus]

#1 looks more Reed Bunting to me!


Shane

 

[louise S]

Oooh I hadn't even considered a linnet. Thanks

I was caught between corn bunting and yellowhammer for #1. It's harder to tell all these buntings apart than I thought!

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Although, it is already correctly identified imo, first bird is a Corn Bunting for me, too.
Features against Reed Bunting are:
- pink lower mandible
-bill gives the impression of beeing to large for this species
-in many Reed Buntings, the malar stripe is broader, more prominent and blacker than in this bird
-in some Reed Buntings, the rump is paler grey, contrasting slightly with the darker and browner back

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Oooh I hadn't even considered a linnet. Thanks

I was caught between corn bunting and yellowhammer for #1. It's harder to tell all these buntings apart than I thought!

It is definitely a Corn Bunting Louise - note the overall pale light brown olive tones, relatively plain features, and sloping forehead to a very heavy bill, large head and small eye. In other words if you see a fairly nondescript, bulky bunting with no outstanding field markings and a noticeably chunky bill, you are likely looking at a Corn Bunting rather than any other bunting species! 😉

 

[RafaelMatias]

Agree with Corn Bunting, Common Linnet and Eurasian Skylark.

 

[louise S]

Thanks for all of these! If #1 is a corn bunting, I actually have one more to add to this - after a fashion, we identified this one as a yellowhammer. To me, though, it looks completely identical to #1. Do you agree with yellowhammer or is this a corn bunting too?

 

[RafaelMatias]

Another Corn Bunting. Look at the colour of the rump for example.

 

[louise S]

Oh interesting! My partner posted this photo to a local birding site and about eight people have told us it's a yellowhammer . Never knew this could be so contentious!

Just out of curiosity, what did you see as the defining features in this case?

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Louise your bird has a featureless greyish rump. Yellowhammer has a warm brown/slightly rufous rump with variable streaking.

see here

Yellowhammer Macaulay Library ML303666601

© Seppo Neuvonen; Yellowhammer; Emberiza citrinella; Turku--Hirvensalo, Moikoinen, Southwest Finland, Finland; 7 Jan 2021; Macaulay Library ML303666601

macaulaylibrary.org

Note the face pattern too - the stripe behind ear coverts does not continue in an unbroken line to the rear of the eye as it often does in Yellowhammer, making for a plainer face. The bill is large and yellowish - on Yellowhammer it is smaller and grey.

Yellowhammer Macaulay Library ML135092661

© Paul Waton; Yellowhammer; Emberiza citrinella; Countryside Restoration Trust, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom; 11 Jan 2019; Macaulay Library ML135092661

macaulaylibrary.org

There are other features but others may elaborate.

 

[louise S]

That's great, thanks!