Black-headed bunting
Black-headed bunting | |
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Adult male (Lesbos, Greece) | |
Female (Maharashtra, India) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Emberizidae |
Genus: | Emberiza |
Species: | E. melanocephala
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Binomial name | |
Emberiza melanocephala Scopoli, 1769
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Breeding and winter distribution ranges of Black-headed and Red-headed Bunting | |
Synonyms | |
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The black-headed bunting (Emberiza melanocephala) 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.
Taxonomy
The black-headed bunting was
Description
This bird is 15 cm (5.9 in) long, larger than a
The black- and red-headed buntings represent sister species which forms a clade along with the crested bunting.[7]
Distribution and habitat
The black-headed bunting breeds in open scrubby areas including agricultural land. In winter they move to Asia and large flocks are found in agricultural fields and grasslands. The longest migration noted from a ringed individual is about 7,000 km. Another ringed bird was determined to have flown 1,000 km in seven days. Males form pure flocks during migration and arrive in the winter quarters well before the females.[8] The winter range within India is mainly in western and northern India extending south to northern Karnataka.[9] In winter they form large communal roosts in thorny acacia trees, often joining other species such as the yellow-throated sparrow.[8]
The main breeding zone extends from south-eastern Europe to central Asia. The wintering grounds are mainly in India although vagrants have been found wintering as far east as Japan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos, South Korea and Malaysia.[10] Summer vagrants may occur as far north in Europe as Norway.
Behaviour and ecology
The black-headed bunting is found in flocks as it forages on grasslands for seeds. They breed in summer, building a nest in a low bush or on the ground. The nest is a
Like the red-headed bunting but unlike many other Emberiza buntings, it has two moults in a year. It undergoes one moult in the winter quarters prior to migrating back to the breeding region, and another after breeding. Young birds fledge with a soft plumage and then moult into a juvenile plumage before migrating and then assume an adult plumage after moulting in their winter quarters.[8][15]
In winter their call is a single note tweet or soft zrit.[8] The song consists of a loud series of strophes each made up a high harsh notes that accelerate into a jangling mix with some clear slurred notes interspersed before stopping abruptly.[6]
Gallery
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Breeding male, Belo Polje, Serbia
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Breeding male, Serbia
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Baga, Goa, India
References
- . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ Scopoli, Giovanni Antonio (1769). Annus Historico-Naturalis (in Latin). Vol. Part 1. Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Sumtib. C.G. Hilscheri. p. 142.
- ^ Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1970). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 13. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 27.
- Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Sylviid babblers, parrotbills, white-eyes". IOC World Bird List Version 11.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-84-96553-87-3.
- PMID 18411062.
- ^ a b c d Ali, S & Ripley, SD (1999). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 10 (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 217–219.
- ^ Gururaja, KV (1999). "Sighting of Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala in Shimoga city". Newsletter for Birdwatchers. 39 (1): 14.
- ^ Dymond, N (1999). "Two records of Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala in Sabah- the first definite occurrence in Malaysia and Borneo" (PDF). Forktail. 15: 102. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2011.
- ^ Dresser, HE (1902). A manual of Palaearctic birds. Part 1. London: Published by the author. pp. 346–347.
- S2CID 85017756.
- .
- PMID 19127298.
- .