Red-headed Bunting

Emberiza bruniceps Brandt, JF, 1841

≈16 cmLength25 gWeight

In the breeding season, the male has a yellow body, green back and brownish-red face and breast.

Busiest months: December–January · Most records: India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan

Looks like Black-headed Bunting

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Male in the breeding season has a brownish-red face and breast
Male in the breeding season has bright yellow underparts
Male in the breeding season has green upperparts
Body length 17 cm; tail feathers relatively long

Male, female and young

Female resembles a faded male, with paler underparts, a gray-brown back and a gray head; juvenile resembles the female.

Voice

Rather high in pitch and slightly harsh, like “sweet-sweet-churri-churri-churri”.

Similar species

Black-headed Bunting

Juvenile plumage closely resembles that of Black-headed Bunting and is easily confused with it.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: December–January · Most records: India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan

Red-headed Bunting has been recorded at 151 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 20 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Manjeera Wildlife SanctuaryIndia444 records
Ankasamudra Bird SanctuaryIndia172 records
Timbi LakeIndia167 records

More places

Nalsarovar OutskirtsIndia164 records
Taukum DesertKazakhstan163 records
Vadhavana Lake, DabhoiIndia156 records
KanshengelKazakhstan152 records
Nalsarovar Bird SanctuaryIndia146 records
ChanduIndia95 records
Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding CenterKazakhstan71 records

Countries and regions with the most records

India Kazakhstan Uzbekistan China Poland United Kingdom Kyrgyzstan Thailand

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 red-headed bunting (Melophus bruniceps) is a small passerine bird in the Old World bunting family Emberizidae. It breeds in central Asia, including Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia; Russia (European Russia, Central Asian Russia), Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China. It is migratory, wintering in India and Bangladesh.

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

Questions

How big is the Red-headed Bunting?

The Red-headed Bunting is about ≈16 cm long and weighs around 25 g.

Where does the Red-headed Bunting live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: temperate central Palearctic shrub-steppe to oases: southwestern Russia in Astrakhan, Kazakhstan (except far northern) and southeastern Orenburg (south-central Russia) to northwestern Xinjiang (northwestern China) and far southwestern Mongolia; in south to north-central, northeastern Iran, northern, eastern Afghanistan and northern Baluchistan, far western Pakistan through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is most often recorded in India, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

When is the best time to see the Red-headed Bunting?

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

Is the Red-headed Bunting endangered?

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

What does the Red-headed Bunting eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Red-headed Bunting in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈16 cm
Weight: 25 g
Habitat: Grassland
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 86 mm
Tail: 68 mm
Bill: 16 mm
Tarsus: 20 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: temperate central Palearctic shrub-steppe to oases: southwestern Russia in Astrakhan, Kazakhstan (except far northern) and southeastern Orenburg (south-central Russia) to northwestern Xinjiang (northwestern China) and far southwestern Mongolia; in south to north-central, northeastern Iran, northern, eastern Afghanistan and northern Baluchistan, far western Pakistan through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2