Bird Guide

Golden-breasted Bunting vs Rock Bunting

Golden-breasted Bunting (Emberiza flaviventris)

Golden-breasted Bunting

Emberiza flaviventris

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The golden-breasted bunting is 15–16 cm long. The adult male has striking head pattern with a white crown, black lateral crown stripes, white supercilium and black-bordered white ear coverts. The underparts are orange-yellow becoming yellow on the throat and whitish on the lower belly. The upperparts are chestnut with a grey rump. The browner wings have two conspicuous white wing bars. The sexes are very similar, but females may have a buff tone to the white head markings and browner head stripes, and the back may have dark streaks. Young birds are duller and paler than the females.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Golden-breasted Bunting
Recorded by paulo kivuyo · Call · kikatiti, Meru, Arusha Region, Tanzania · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: le0p0ld_d · CC BY 4.0
Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia)

Rock Bunting

Emberiza cia

Small23 gRocky

This bird is 16 cm in length. The breeding male has chestnut upperparts, unmarked deep buff underparts, and a pale grey head marked with black striping. The female rock bunting is a washed-out version of the male, with paler underparts, a grey-brown back and a less contrasted head. The juvenile is similar to the female, but with a streaked head. There are four races differing mainly in the plumage shades, although the subspecies which breeds in Europe, Africa and western Turkey is the only one to show white wing bars. Voice: The call is a sharp tseee, and the song is a twittering churrrr-chirrriiii-itt.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Rock Bunting
Recorded by Carlo Fracasso · Song · San Massimo, Province of Campobasso, Molise, Italy · CC0
Photo: Edoardo Nardelli · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Golden-breasted Bunting and Rock Bunting.