Rock Bunting

Emberiza cia Linnaeus, 1766

≈16 cmLength23 gWeight

The breeding male has a gray head with black stripes, chestnut upperparts and deep buff underparts.

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: Spain, Portugal, India

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Breeding male has a pale gray head with black stripes
Breeding male has chestnut upperparts
Breeding male has unmarked deep buff underparts

Male, female and young

Female resembles a faded male, with paler underparts, a gray-brown back and a less contrasting head pattern; juvenile resembles the female but has streaks on the head.

Voice

A sharp “tseee”; song is a series of trilling notes, “churrrr-chirrriiii-itt”.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: Spain, Portugal, India

Rock Bunting has been recorded at 284 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 43 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Monfragüe PN – Peña Falcón/Salto del GitanoSpain1,474 records
Monfragüe PN – Portilla del TiétarSpain654 records
Monfragüe PNSpain491 records

More places

Perímetro Florestal do Barão de São JoãoPortugal484 records
Vallée d'OukaïmedenMorocco429 records
Munsyari – Bheema WodeyarIndia307 records
Casares – CastilloSpain240 records
PangotIndia240 records
MiotoPortugal215 records
Pateiras do AvePortugal164 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Spain Portugal India Morocco Bulgaria Kazakhstan France Italy

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 rock bunting (Emberiza cia) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

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

Questions

How big is the Rock Bunting?

The Rock Bunting is about ≈16 cm long and weighs around 23 g.

Where does the Rock Bunting live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: subtropical to temperate montane western, central Palearctic rocky, bushy slopes: Iberian Peninsula and central France through southern Germany, Slovakia, southwestern Russia through northern Iran and southern Turkmenistan to eastern Kazakhstan, northwestern, western Xinjiang (northwestern China) and east to far western Mongolia; in south from Morocco to Tunisia (northwestern, north-central Africa), Mediterranean to Israel, southern Iran, Afghanistan and western, central Himalayas. It is most often recorded in Spain, Portugal and India.

When is the best time to see the Rock Bunting?

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

Is the Rock Bunting endangered?

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

What does the Rock Bunting eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Rock Bunting in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈16 cm
Weight: 23 g
Habitat: Rocky terrain
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 80 mm
Tail: 70 mm
Bill: 12 mm
Tarsus: 19 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: subtropical to temperate montane western, central Palearctic rocky, bushy slopes: Iberian Peninsula and central France through southern Germany, Slovakia, southwestern Russia through northern Iran and southern Turkmenistan to eastern Kazakhstan, northwestern, western Xinjiang (northwestern China) and east to far western Mongolia; in south from Morocco to Tunisia (northwestern, north-central Africa), Mediterranean to Israel, southern Iran, Afghanistan and western, central Himalayas

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1