Yellow-breasted Buntings

The Yellow-breasted Buntings, Emberiza aureola, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

Buntings

Yellow-breasted Buntings

 

Distribution / Breeding:

It breeds in northeast Europe and across northern Asia. It is migratory, wintering in southeast Asia, India, and southern China. It is a rare but regular wanderer to Western Europe.

Yellow-Breasted Buntings breed in open scrubby areas, often near water, and it is very common in Siberia. It lays 4-6 eggs in a nest on the ground.

Diet / Feeding:

Its natural food consists of insects when feeding young, and otherwise seeds.

Yellow-breasted BuntingsDescription:

This bird is similar in size to a Reed Bunting but longer-billed. The breeding male has bright yellow underparts with black flank streaks, brown upperparts, a black face and throat bar, and a pink lower beak.

The female has a heavily streaked grey-brown back and less intensely yellow underparts. She has a whitish face with a dark crown, eye, and cheek stripes. The juvenile is similar, but the background color of the underparts and face is buff.

Call / Song:

The call is a distinctive zick, and the song is a clear tru-tru, tri-tri.

 
 
 
 
 
Photo of author

Gordon Ramel

Gordon is an ecologist with two degrees from Exeter University. He's also a teacher, a poet and the owner of 1,152 books. Oh - and he wrote this website.

We love to hear from our readers. If you have any questions or if you want to get in touch with us, you can find our contact details on our About Us page.

Leave a Comment