Chestnut Bunting
Emberiza rutila
Small, shy bunting, usually seen through a screen of thick shrubby vegetation in low, dense thickets. Brightly colored adult male distinctive, with brilliant chestnut upperparts and a daisy-yellow belly. Female and young males somewhat resemble a female Yellow-breasted Bunting but are much smaller and darker overall, with a less distinct facial pattern and browner underparts. Favors open forests with dense ground covering for breeding, but can be found in a wider range of habitats with suitable cover in the non-breeding season.
Identification
The chestnut bunting (Emberiza rutila) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae found in the East Palearctic.
Taxonomy
Genus: Emberiza; Family: Emberizidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Emberiza rutila
- Authority
- Pallas, 1776
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Emberizidae
- Genus
- Emberiza
Range and habitat
Breeding range: PAL : temperate c, ec Palearctic open forest: sc Russia and nc Mongolia to s Sea of Okhotsk and Ussuriland (se Russia) and ne Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang (ne China). Non-breeding range: subtropical e Asian openings and fields: Nagaland to Mizoram (ne India), n, c se Asia and s China.
- Breeding range
- PAL : temperate c, ec Palearctic open forest: sc Russia and nc Mongolia to s Sea of Okhotsk and Ussuriland (se Russia) and ne Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang (ne China)
- Non-breeding range
- subtropical e Asian openings and fields: Nagaland to Mizoram (ne India), n, c se Asia and s China
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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