Masked Bunting

Emberiza personata Temminck, 1836

≈14 cmLength18 gWeight

It has two conspicuous sulfur-colored stripes, a supercilium and a cheek stripe, on its gray head and neck.

Busiest months: January–February · Most records: Japan, South Korea, China

Looks like Black-faced Bunting

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Head grayish; male has a black face
Male has a black chin
Male has a gray head and neck tinged olive
Upper mandible lead-gray; base of lower mandible and feet flesh-pink

Male, female and young

Female has a distinctly grayish head, exceptionally clear supercilium and cheek stripe, and dense brown streaks on the breast.

Similar species

Black-faced Bunting

Male Masked Bunting has a sulfur-colored jaw area, similar in color to the breast, whereas the nominate subspecies of Black-faced Bunting has a blue-gray jaw area.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January–February · Most records: Japan, South Korea, China

Masked Bunting has been recorded at 120 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Edogawa Ward – Kasai Rinkai Park / Kasai Kaihin ParkJapan777 records
Nerima Ward – Shakujii ParkJapan517 records
Wajima – Hegurajima (island)Japan408 records

More places

Niigata – Lake ToyanogataJapan295 records
Sakata – Tobishima (island)Japan275 records
Katsushika Ward – Mizumoto ParkJapan260 records
Ota Ward – Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park (including Tidal Pond)Japan257 records
Ichikawa – Gyotoku Bird SanctuaryJapan230 records
Yokohama – Maioka ParkJapan198 records
Niigata – Nishikaigan ParkJapan198 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Japan South Korea 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

The masked bunting (Schoeniclus personatus) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It is found in Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, and Japan.

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

Questions

How big is the Masked Bunting?

The Masked Bunting is about ≈14 cm long and weighs around 18 g.

Where does the Masked Bunting live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: temperate far northeastern Palearctic woodland edge: southern Sakhalin and Kuril Islands (southeastern Russia), Hokkaido and northern, central Honshu (northern, central Japan). It is most often recorded in Japan, South Korea and China.

When is the best time to see the Masked Bunting?

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

Is the Masked Bunting endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Masked Bunting as Least Concern.

What does the Masked Bunting eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Masked Bunting in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈14 cm
Weight: 18 g
Habitat: Shrubland
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 70 mm
Tail: 62 mm
Bill: 12 mm
Tarsus: 20 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: temperate far northeastern Palearctic woodland edge: southern Sakhalin and Kuril Islands (southeastern Russia), Hokkaido and northern, central Honshu (northern, central Japan)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2