Bird Album
Cape Bunting
Emberiza capensis Linnaeus, 1766
16 cmLength21 gWeight
The Cape bunting (Fringillaria capensis) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae.
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho
Where and when it's recorded
Cape Bunting has been recorded at 79 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 7 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Rooi-ElsSouth Africa1,461 records
- West Coast NPSouth Africa622 records
- Table Mt. NP – Cape Point SectionSouth Africa403 records
More places
- Ondudu LodgeNamibia400 records
- Table Mt. NP – Cape of Good HopeSouth Africa342 records
- Spitzkoppe Nature ReserveNamibia259 records
- De Hoop Nature ReserveSouth Africa256 records
- Suikerbosrand NRSouth Africa254 records
- Harold Porter Botanical GardensSouth Africa214 records
- Sani Pass (LS) to Black MountainsLesotho209 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Cape bunting (Fringillaria capensis) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Cape Bunting?
The Cape Bunting is about 16 cm long and weighs around 21 g.
Where does the Cape Bunting live?
Its breeding range: Africa: open rocky shrubland of southern Africa: southwestern Angola east to western Mozambique, south through southern South Africa. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Namibia and Lesotho.
When is the best time to see the Cape Bunting?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Cape Bunting endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Cape Bunting as Least Concern.
What does the Cape Bunting eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Cape Bunting in?
It belongs to the family Buntings (Emberizidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 16 cm
- Weight
- 21 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 77 mm
- Tail
- 61 mm
- Bill
- 13 mm
- Tarsus
- 20 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: open rocky shrubland of southern Africa: southwestern Angola east to western Mozambique, south through southern South Africa
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Buntings Emberizidae
- Genus
- Emberiza
Other birds in the genus Emberiza
Crested BuntingEmberiza lathami
Slaty BuntingEmberiza siemsseni
Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
Pine BuntingEmberiza leucocephalos
Rock BuntingEmberiza cia
Godlewski's BuntingEmberiza godlewskii
Meadow BuntingEmberiza cioides
White-capped BuntingEmberiza stewarti
Jankowski's BuntingEmberiza jankowskii
Grey-necked BuntingEmberiza buchanani
Cinereous BuntingEmberiza cineracea
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Derek Keats. ↗
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