Pine Bunting

Pine Bunting
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Emberizidae Genus: Emberiza Species: leucocephalos
Binomial name
Emberiza leucocephalos Gmelin,SG, 1771

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

It breeds across much of temperate Asia, migrating south to central Asia, north India and southern China in winter. It is common in all sorts of open areas with some scrub or trees, including cultivation, but has a greater preference for open forest (usually pine) than the closely related Yellowhammer. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe.

The is a robust bird, with a thick seed-eater's bill. The male has a white crown and cheeks, and a chestnut forehead and throat, and a heavily streaked brown back. The female is much duller, and more streaked below. Non-breeding plumages are like a Yellowhammer with all the yellow replaced by white.

The song and calls are like the Yellowhammer.

Its natural food consists of insects when feeding young, and otherwise seeds. The nest is on the ground. 4-6 eggs are laid, which show the hair-like markings characteristic of those of buntings.