Meadow Bunting

Emberiza cioides Brandt, JF, 1843

≈15 cmLength21 gWeight

The male has a black face set off by a broad white supercilium, and shows white on the outer tail feathers in flight.

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

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Male has a black face and broad white supercilium
Male has dark chestnut from the crown to the occiput
Upper breast chestnut; belly earthy yellow
Outermost tail feathers have white stripes, conspicuous in flight

Male, female and young

Female lacks the male’s sharply contrasting black-and-white head and face, with a brown crown and pale rufous-yellow supercilium.

Voice

Song is a short series of rapid syllables; the usual call consists of up to four sharp, short notes.

Where and when it's recorded

Meadow Bunting has been recorded at 457 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 8 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Lingshan Scenic AreaChina427 records
Karuizawa – Karuizawa Wild Bird SanctuaryJapan372 records
Tochigi – Watarase Retention Ponds / Yanaka LakeJapan297 records

More places

Baengnyeong-do (island)South Korea260 records
Yokohama – Sakai River Wetland Prefectural ParkJapan258 records
Sakata – Tobishima (island)Japan243 records
Tochigi – Watarase GreenspaceJapan185 records
Izumi – Izumi Crane Observation CenterJapan179 records
North Lake InbanumaJapan177 records
Izumi – Euchi River reedbedsJapan167 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Japan China South Korea Mongolia Kazakhstan Russia Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan

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 meadow bunting or Siberian meadow bunting (Emberiza cioides) is a passerine bird of eastern Asia which belongs to the genus Emberiza in the bunting family Emberizidae.

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

Questions

How big is the Meadow Bunting?

The Meadow Bunting is about ≈15 cm long and weighs around 21 g.

Where does the Meadow Bunting live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: temperate central, eastern Palearctic open woods: eastern Kazakhstan and eastern Kyrgyzstan through southern Russia, Mongolia, northeastern China to Sakhalin and Kuril Islands (southeastern Russia); in south to northern Xinjiang, Yunnan and Zhejiang (northwestern, south-central, southeastern China), Korean Peninsula, and Hokkaido to Yakushima (northern to southern Japan). It is most often recorded in Japan, China and South Korea.

When is the best time to see the Meadow Bunting?

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

Is the Meadow Bunting endangered?

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

What does the Meadow Bunting eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Meadow Bunting in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈15 cm
Weight: 21 g
Habitat: Grassland
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 78 mm
Tail: 74 mm
Bill: 13 mm
Tarsus: 19 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: temperate central, eastern Palearctic open woods: eastern Kazakhstan and eastern Kyrgyzstan through southern Russia, Mongolia, northeastern China to Sakhalin and Kuril Islands (southeastern Russia); in south to northern Xinjiang, Yunnan and Zhejiang (northwestern, south-central, southeastern China), Korean Peninsula, and Hokkaido to Yakushima (northern to southern Japan)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 4

Emberiza cioides tarbagataica e Kazakhstan, e Kyrgyzstan, and Xinjiang (w China)
Emberiza cioides cioides sc Siberia and Transbaikalia (e Russia), Mongolia, and e Qinghai (nc China)
Emberiza cioides weigoldi Amurland and Ussuriland (se Russia), n Korean Pen. and ne China
Emberiza cioides castaneiceps e China s of Hebei, and s Korean Pen.