Cinereous bunting
| Cinereous bunting | |
|---|---|
| |
| Adult male | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Emberizidae |
| Genus: | Emberiza |
| Species: | E. cineracea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Emberiza cineracea Brehm, 1855
| |
The cinereous bunting (Emberiza cineracea) 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.
Range[edit]
It breeds in southern Turkey and southern Iran, and winters around the Red Sea in north-eastern Africa and Yemen. A few isolated populations just about maintain a foothold within European borders, on islands in the Aegean Sea.
Habitat[edit]
The cinereous bunting breeds on dry stony mountain slopes.
Description[edit]
The cinereous bunting is a large (16–17 cm), slim bunting with a long, white-cornered tail. The term cinereous describes its colouration. It is less streaked than many buntings and has a thick pale bill. It has a greyish back with only subdued dark markings, and a browner tint to the wings.
The adult male's head is dull yellow, with a brighter moustachial line and throat. In the nominate race of south-west Turkey, the rest of the underparts are grey, but the eastern form E. c. semenowi has yellow underparts.
Females are brownish grey above with a whitish throat and yellow only in the moustachial stripe. Young birds have a plain pale belly and streaking on the breast.
Foraging and breeding[edit]
Like other buntings, the cinereous bunting feeds principally on seeds. It takes insects especially when feeding its young. Its normal clutch is three eggs.
Song[edit]
The call is a harsh tschrip, and the song is a hoarse zru- zru-zru-zru.
References[edit]
- ^ BirdLife International (2019). "Emberiza cineracea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T22720912A155519254. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22720912A155519254.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- Buntings and Sparrows by Byers, Olsson and Curson, ISBN 1-873403-19-4
 | This article about a bird of the family Emberizidae is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |