Rock Bunting
Emberiza cia
The Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia) is a uncommon old world bunting found in 53 countries, weighing about 23 g. The rock bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.
About the Rock Bunting
The rock bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
What the Rock Bunting sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Rock Bunting can be seen all year round, with peak activity in May. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Rock Bunting?
- This bird is 16 cm in length. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Rock Bunting?
- The Rock Bunting is a small sized bird weighing about 23 g.
- Where can you see a Rock Bunting?
- The Rock Bunting occurs in 53 countries, including Spain, France, Portugal, India and Türkiye.
- What does a Rock Bunting sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Rock Bunting on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Rock Bunting?
- The Rock Bunting is most easily confused with the Ortolan Bunting, the Golden-breasted Bunting and the Rustic Bunting.
- Is the Rock Bunting endangered?
- The Rock Bunting is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Rock Bunting for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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