Chestnut Bunting
Emberiza rutila
The Chestnut Bunting (Emberiza rutila) is a rare old world bunting found in 22 countries, weighing about 18 g. The chestnut bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae found in the East Palearctic.
About the Chestnut Bunting
The chestnut bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae found in the East Palearctic.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
It is a fairly small bunting, 14 to 15 cm in length. The tail is fairly short with little or no white on the outer feathers. Breeding males have bright chestnut-brown upperparts and head. The breast and belly are yellow with streaks on the sides. Non-breeding males are similar but duller with the chestnut partly hidden by pale fringes to the feathers. The female is mostly dull brown with dark streaks above while the underparts are mainly pale yellow. The rump is dull chestnut and the throat is buff. The variable, high-pitched song is given from a perch low in a tree.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United Kingdom, Norway, France, Israel, North Korea, Finland, Nepal.
When to see it
Best months: April, May, October, November, with peak activity in April. It is a passage migrant species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Chestnut Bunting?
- It is a fairly small bunting, 14 to 15 cm in length. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Chestnut Bunting?
- The Chestnut Bunting is a small sized bird weighing about 18 g.
- Where can you see a Chestnut Bunting?
- The Chestnut Bunting occurs in 22 countries, including Taiwan, China, South Korea, Thailand and Hong Kong SAR China.
- What birds look similar to a Chestnut Bunting?
- The Chestnut Bunting is most easily confused with the Pine Bunting, the Godlewski's Bunting and the White-capped Bunting.
- Is the Chestnut Bunting endangered?
- The Chestnut Bunting is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Chestnut Bunting for real
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