Rustic Bunting
Emberiza rustica
Breeding birds are striking with black, crested head and broad, thick white eyebrow and moustache. Cheeks on males black; females have rufous cheeks and a paler rear crown. Can be easily confused with Reed Bunting in winter but note pink bill and white ear patch. Breeds in the boreal zone in lowland deciduous forest with spruce, birch, and willow, and in dense flooded pine forests. Call a short "zit." Soft melodic song often heard through the night.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Emberiza rustica
- Authority
- Pallas, 1776
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Emberizidae
- Genus
- Emberiza
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : subarctic to temperate Palearctic swamp forest: Scandinavia (except far n and s) across Russia to s Chukotka, Kamchatka, s to n Altai and n Sakhalin (e Russia)
- Non-breeding range
- temperate to subtropical e Asian open areas: e China, Korean Pen. and Honshu to Ryukyu Is. (c to s Japan)
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Bostrychia hagedash
A large, bulky, gray-brown ibis with an iridescent green-purple gloss on the wings. It has a bicolored black-and-red bill and a white streak across the cheek under the eye. Pairs and small flocks occur in a variety of habitats including open country, wetland margins, and forest edge; they forages on the ground, digging, probing soft soil, and picking up invertebrates with their long bills. The frequently-heard call is one of the most characteristic sounds of Africa: a loud, raucous, trumpeting “ha-da-da” which gives the bird its name.
Capped Heron
Pilherodius pileatus
This gorgeous medium-sized heron is uncommon but widespread in lowlands of South America, barely extending into eastern Panama. Not likely to be mistaken: combination of silvery back, buffy neck and belly, black cap, and blue lores (sometimes radiant turquoise!) help distinguish this species from other herons. Also note the long white plumes on the back of the head. Occurs around swamps, forested ponds, and rivers, usually singly.
Blue-tufted Starthroat
Heliomaster furcifer
A medium-sized hummingbird with a long and slightly curved bill. Males have a green back with violet-blue underparts and a forked tail. Note the dazzling metallic-pink and violet gorget on males. Females have a coppery nape, a grayish throat, and white underparts. Note the female’s slightly forked and white-tipped tail. An austral migrant, it is mostly found at forest borders, in savanna, and in lowland grasslands.
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