Grey-necked bunting

Last updated

Grey-necked bunting
GreyNeckedBunting PrasadBR.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Emberizidae
Genus: Emberiza
Species:
E. buchanani
Binomial name
Emberiza buchanani
Blyth, 1844 [2]
Synonyms
  • Euspiza huttoni
  • Glycyspina huttoni

The grey-necked bunting (Emberiza buchanani), sometimes referred to as grey-hooded bunting (a name also in use for chestnut-eared bunting [3] ) is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae. It breeds along a wide distribution range from the Caspian Sea to the Altai Mountains in Central Asia and winters in parts of Southern Asia. Like other buntings it is found in small flocks.

Contents

Description

Grey necked Bunting at Rajkot Grey necked Bunting at Rajkot.jpg
Grey necked Bunting at Rajkot

This bunting has a long pink bill and is greyish above. The male has a distinctive white eye-ring that stands out in contrast to the grey hood. The chin and throat are whitish pink and are bordered by grey malar stripes. The underparts are pinkish brown. The female is duller but the moustachial stripe can appear more noticeable. The outer tail feathers are whitish. [3] [4]

The species was described by Edward Blyth based on a drawing by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton after whom the species is named. [5] It has been suggested that the actual date of the description was 1845 due to delays in the publication of the journal of The Asiatic Society. [6] A supposed type specimen in the Indian Museum was never located. [7]

In winter it makes a short subdued click note but the song is a metalling jingle made of swee-swee notes ending with a dzwe-ee-dul. [8]

Three subspecies are noted nominate buchanani, neobscura, and ceruttii. [9]

Habitat and distribution

Emberiza buchanani MHNT Emberiza buchanani MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.219 Mongolie.jpg
Emberiza buchanani MHNT

This bunting is found mainly in dry and open habitats, often stony, scrubby hillsides covered with low thorn scrub. Birds that breed in the Baluchistan region winter in India moving through Gujarat in September and returning in March to their breeding grounds. It is found in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Israel, [10] Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Oman, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

It is an extremely rare vagrant north of its breeding range, with recent records from Finland and the Netherlands, though wanderers may be overlooked due to its similarity, in non-breeding plumage, to the closely related and far commoner ortolan bunting.

They winter in parts of Africa, West Asia, and parts of South Asia as far south as Sri Lanka. [11]

Its natural habitat is temperate grassland mainly below 7000 ft. [12] In winter it is found in weedy or stubbly fields. It nests on the ground under some overhanging vegetation. The nest is lined with grass and hair. The song given from a perch is a series of short and shrill notes that increase in volume. [3]

A tick Hyalomma turanicum has been recorded on birds from Kazakhstan. [13]

Claud Ticehurst noted that males and females migrated separately. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowhammer</span> Passerine bird in the bunting family that is native to Eurasia

The yellowhammer is a passerine bird in the bunting family that is native to Eurasia and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia. Most European birds remain in the breeding range year-round, but the eastern subspecies is partially migratory, with much of the population wintering further south. The male yellowhammer has a bright yellow head, streaked brown back, chestnut rump, and yellow under parts. Other plumages are duller versions of the same pattern. The yellowhammer is common in open areas with some shrubs or trees, and forms small flocks in winter. Its song has a rhythm like "A little bit of bread and no cheese". The song is very similar to that of its closest relative, the pine bunting, with which it interbreeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common reed bunting</span> Species of bird

The common reed bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name Emberiza is from Old German Embritz, a bunting. The specific schoeniclus is from Ancient Greek skhoiniklos, a now unknown waterside bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pallas's reed bunting</span> Species of bird

Pallas's reed bunting, also known as Pallas's bunting, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corn bunting</span> Species of bird

The corn bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. This is a large bunting with heavily streaked buff-brown plumage. The sexes are similar but the male is slightly larger than the female. Its range extends from Western Europe and North Africa across to northwestern China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine bunting</span> Species of bird

The pine bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group most modern authors now separate from the finches, Fringillidae. It lives in Eurosiberia east of the Urals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rustic bunting</span> Species of bird

The rustic bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name Emberiza is from Old German Embritz, a bunting. The specific rustica is Latin for "rustic, simple".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-breasted bunting</span> Species of bird

The yellow-breasted bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae that is found across the Boreal and East Palearctic. The genus name Emberiza is from Old German Embritz, a bunting. The specific aureola is Latin for "golden". The bird's call is a distinctive zick, and the song is a clear tru-tru, tri-tri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-faced bunting</span> Species of bird

The black-faced bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cretzschmar's bunting</span> Species of bird

Cretzschmar's bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-headed bunting</span> Species of bird

The black-headed bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It breeds in south-east Europe east to Iran and migrates in winter mainly to India, with some individuals moving further into south-east Asia. Like others in its family, it is found in open grassland habitats where they fly in flocks in search of grains and seed. Adult males are well marked with yellow underparts, chestnut back and a black head. Adult females in breeding plumage look like duller males. In other plumages, they can be hard to separate from the closely related red-headed bunting and natural hybridization occurs between the two species in the zone of overlap of their breeding ranges in northern Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock bunting</span> Species of bird

The rock bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-headed bunting</span> Species of bird

The red-headed bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinereous bunting</span> Species of bird

The cinereous bunting is a bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a passerine family now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. This species was first described by Christian Ludwig Brehm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-eared bunting</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-eared bunting, also called grey-headed bunting or grey-hooded bunting, with the latter name also used for grey-necked bunting, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale-capped pigeon</span> Species of bird

The pale-capped pigeon, also known as the purple wood pigeon, is a species of large pigeon that is found patchily distributed in parts of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It has a slow flight and spends a lot of time sitting still in the foliage of large fruiting trees, often in riverine forest on the plains. It is mainly brown above and chestnut below with the a sheen of green or amethyst. Males have a whitish grey cap while females have a brownish grey cap and less gloss on the feathers. They are frugivores, foraging in small groups in the canopy of trees but sometimes descending to the ground for seeds and fallen fruit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striolated bunting</span> Species of bird

The striolated bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow bunting</span> Species of bird

The yellow bunting or Japanese yellow bunting is a passerine bird of eastern Asia in the bunting family Emberizidae. It is threatened by habitat loss, the use of pesticides and trapping for the cagebird industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meadow bunting</span> Species of bird

The meadow bunting or Siberian meadow bunting is a passerine bird of eastern Asia which belongs to the genus Emberiza in the bunting family Emberizidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut bunting</span> Species of bird

The chestnut bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae found in the East Palearctic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese reed bunting</span> Species of bird

The Japanese reed bunting or ochre-rumped bunting is a bird in the family Emberizidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2017). "Emberiza buchanani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22720909A111135183. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22720909A111135183.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. Blyth, E (1844). "Synopsis of the Indian Fringillidae". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 13: 944–963.
  3. 1 2 3 Rasmussen PC; JC Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Volume 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions. pp. 553–554.
  4. Oates, EW (1890). Fauna of British India. Birds. Volume 2. Taylor and Francis, London. p. 258.
  5. Hellmayr CE (1929). "Birds of the James Simpson-Roosevelts Asiatic Expedition". Field Museum of Natural History, Zoological Series. 17 (3): 61.
  6. Dickinson, E.C.; A. Pittie (2006). "Systematic notes on Asian birds. 51. Dates of avian names introduced in early volumes of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal". Zool. Med. Leiden. 80 (3): 113–124.
  7. Sclater, WL (2008). "On the Indian Museum and its collection of birds". Ibis. 4 (series 6): 65–87. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1892.tb01187.x.
  8. Ali, S; SD Ripley (1999). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 10 (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 230–232.
  9. Paynter Jr. RA, ed. (1970). Check-list of birds of the World. Volume 13. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 13.
  10. Yosef R (2001). "Status and migration characteristics of buntings (Emberizidae) in Eilat and in Israel" (PDF). In Tryjanowski P, Osicjuk TS, Kupczyk M (eds.). Bunting studies in Europe. Bogucki Wyd Nauk, Poznan. pp. 11–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-11-21.
  11. C. D. Kaluthota; Dammithra Samarasinghe; Dilshan de Silva; Hasith de Silva (2009). "First Record of the Grey-necked Bunting Emberiza buchanani from Sri Lanka" (PDF). Malkoha. 30 (1): 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03.
  12. Carruthers, Douglas (1949). Beyond the Caspian. Oliver and Boyd. p. 107.
  13. Hoogstral, Harry (1956). Ticks of the Sudan, Volume 1. US Naval Medical Research Unit 3, Cairo. pp. 528–530.
  14. Baker, ECS (1926). Fauna of British India. Birds Volume 3 (2nd ed.). Taylor and Francis, London. pp. 208–209.