Grey-necked Bunting

Emberiza buchanani Blyth, 1845

≈16 cmLength21 gWeight

The male has a gray head, white eye-ring and long pink bill.

Busiest months: November · Most records: India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia

Looks like Ortolan Bunting

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Male has a gray hood and a white eye-ring
Bill long and pink
Chin and throat pinkish-white, bordered by gray cheek stripes
Underparts pinkish-brown; outer tail feathers whitish

Male, female and young

Female duller, but the moustachial stripe may be more prominent.

Voice

In winter, gives a short, low clicking call; song is a series of metallic “swee-swee” notes ending in “dzwe-ee-dul”.

Similar species

Ortolan Bunting

In non-breeding plumage it closely resembles Ortolan Bunting, so birds away from the breeding grounds may be overlooked.

Where and when it's recorded

Grey-necked Bunting has been recorded at 108 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 15 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Vetal Tekdi/HillIndia388 records
Madayi ParaIndia137 records
Sogeti Valley – Drinking Pool and Surrounding PlainsKazakhstan100 records

More places

Nalsarovar OutskirtsIndia82 records
Jayamangali Blackbuck Conservation ReserveIndia41 records
Khovd Bird Ringing Station, Khovd, MNMongolia37 records
KattampallyIndia28 records
Ujani Dam – Kumbhargaon Bird SanctuaryIndia26 records
Pagote – UranIndia25 records
Nalsarovar Bird SanctuaryIndia25 records

Countries and regions with the most records

India Kazakhstan Mongolia Pakistan China Sri Lanka Nepal Türkiye

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 grey-necked bunting (Emberiza buchanani), sometimes referred to as grey-hooded bunting (a name also in use for chestnut-eared bunting) is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae. It breeds along a wide distribution range from the Caspian Sea to the Altai Mountains in Central Asia and winters in parts of Southern Asia. Like other buntings it is found in small flocks.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Grey-necked Bunting?

The Grey-necked Bunting is about ≈16 cm long and weighs around 21 g.

Where does the Grey-necked Bunting live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: temperate montane southwest to south-central Palearctic dry rocky hills: eastern Turkey, northeastern Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, southern Turkmenistan, eastern Uzbekistan, central, eastern Kazakhstan, south-central Russia and western, central, southern Mongolia; in south through Afghanistan to north-central Pakistan and western, northern Xinjiang (northwestern China). It is most often recorded in India, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.

When is the best time to see the Grey-necked Bunting?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Grey-necked Bunting endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Grey-necked Bunting as Least Concern.

What does the Grey-necked Bunting eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Grey-necked Bunting in?

It belongs to the family Buntings (Emberizidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: ≈16 cm
Weight: 21 g
Habitat: Rocky terrain
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 86 mm
Tail: 69 mm
Bill: 14 mm
Tarsus: 20 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: temperate montane southwest to south-central Palearctic dry rocky hills: eastern Turkey, northeastern Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, southern Turkmenistan, eastern Uzbekistan, central, eastern Kazakhstan, south-central Russia and western, central, southern Mongolia; in south through Afghanistan to north-central Pakistan and western, northern Xinjiang (northwestern China)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1