Prakruti Parichay
EmberizidaeEmberiza

Black-headed Bunting

Emberiza melanocephala

16–18 cmSmall
Beak
—
Feet
—
Crest
No crest

Winter visitor to N. Wand WC India and SE Nepal; passage migrant in Pakistan. Larger than Red-headed Bunting with longer bill. Male has black on head and chestnut on mantle. Female when worn may show ghost pattern of male; fresh female almost identical to Red-headed, but indicative features (although not always apparent) include rufous fringes to mantle and/or back, slight contrast between throat and greyish ear-coverts. and more uniform yellowish underparts. Immature with buff underparts and yellow undertail-coverts. Cereal crops.

Colour

RedBlackChestnutRufous / Red-brown
Average size
17 cm
Habitat
Cereal crops.
Behaviour
Winter visitor to N. Wand WC India and SE Nepal, passage migrant in Pakistan.

About this bird

Winter visitor to N. Wand WC India and SE Nepal; passage migrant in Pakistan. Larger than Red-headed Bunting with longer bill. Male has black on head and chestnut on mantle. Female when worn may show ghost pattern of male; fresh female almost identical to Red-headed, but indicative features (although not always apparent) include rufous fringes to mantle and/or back, slight contrast between throat and greyish ear-coverts. and more uniform yellowish underparts. Immature with buff underparts and yellow undertail-coverts. Cereal crops.

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Black-headed Bunting is bigger than Chestnut-cheeked Starling but smaller than Andaman Bulbul.

This bird

Black-headed Bunting

Emberiza melanocephala

16–18 cm