Black-headed Bunting

Overview

The black-headed bunting (Emberiza melanocephala) is a passerine bird in the family Emberizidae that breeds in open habitats across south-eastern Europe and central Asia. It migrates primarily to India for the winter, though vagrants have been recorded as far east as Japan and south-east Asia.

Identification

• Length of 15 cm with a long tail, slightly larger than a reed bunting.
• Breeding males display bright yellow underparts, a chestnut back, and a distinctive black head.
• Females in breeding plumage resemble duller males with paler underparts, a grey-brown back, and a greyish head.
• Song consists of a loud series of high, harsh notes that accelerate into a jangling mix with interspersed clear slurred notes.
• Winter call is a single note 'tweet' or soft 'zrit'.

Habitat

Breeds in open scrubby areas and agricultural land, while wintering in agricultural fields and grasslands in large flocks. The species forms communal roosts in thorny acacia trees in winter, often joining other species such as the yellow-throated sparrow.

Diet

Forages on grasslands in flocks for seeds, while insects form the main food source when feeding young.

Did you know?

The black-headed bunting undergoes two moults in a year, unlike many other Emberiza buntings, with one occurring in the winter quarters before returning to the breeding region and another after breeding. Its nest can become an ecological trap in Bulgaria, where the collapse of drying cotton thistle stems has caused high mortality.