Jankowski's Bunting

Emberiza jankowskii Taczanowski, 1888

≈15 cmLength22 gWeight

Known by the folk name “red-bellied sparrow”, it is one of the world’s rarest birds.

Busiest months: January and March · Most records: China

Endangered

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Jankowski's Bunting has been recorded at 10 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

China

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

Jankowski's bunting or rufous-backed bunting (Emberiza jankowskii) is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae.

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

Questions

How big is the Jankowski's Bunting?

The Jankowski's Bunting is about ≈15 cm long and weighs around 22 g.

Where does the Jankowski's Bunting live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: temperate northeastern Palearctic (rare) shrubby grassland: far eastern Mongolia, eastern Inner Mongolia and western Jilin (northeastern China), formerly also Heilongjiang and far southeastern Russia. It is most often recorded in China.

When is the best time to see the Jankowski's Bunting?

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

Is the Jankowski's Bunting endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Jankowski's Bunting as Endangered.

What does the Jankowski's Bunting eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Jankowski's Bunting in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈15 cm
Weight: 22 g
Habitat: Grassland
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Endangered

More measurements

Wing: 72 mm
Tail: 70 mm
Bill: 12 mm
Tarsus: 19 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: temperate northeastern Palearctic (rare) shrubby grassland: far eastern Mongolia, eastern Inner Mongolia and western Jilin (northeastern China), formerly also Heilongjiang and far southeastern Russia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2