Somali Bunting

Emberiza poliopleura (Salvadori, 1888)

14–15 cmLength16 gWeight

Most records: Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Somali Bunting has been recorded at 42 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Samburu NRKenya218 records
Shaba NRKenya86 records
Tsavo West NPKenya82 records

More places

Awash NP – southern sectionEthiopia77 records
Buffalo Springs NRKenya76 records
Tsavo West NP – Kilaguni LodgeKenya56 records
Tsavo East NPKenya52 records
Yabello areaEthiopia49 records
Sagala Lodge/Ndara RanchKenya44 records
Awash NPEthiopia43 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Kenya Ethiopia Tanzania Somalia

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 Somali bunting or Somali golden-breasted bunting (Fringillaria poliopleura) is a species of bird in the Old World bunting family, Emberizidae, found in dry, semi-open subtropical & tropical shrubland habitats of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

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

Questions

How big is the Somali Bunting?

The Somali Bunting is about 14–15 cm long and weighs around 16 g.

Where does the Somali Bunting live?

Its breeding range: Africa: northeastern Africa semiarid scrub: central Ethiopia and Somalia (except northeastern) south through far southeastern South Sudan to northern Tanzania. It is most often recorded in Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Is the Somali Bunting endangered?

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

What does the Somali Bunting eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Somali Bunting in?

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

At a glance

Length: 14–15 cm
Weight: 16 g
Habitat: Shrubland
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 74 mm
Tail: 67 mm
Bill: 13 mm
Tarsus: 17 mm

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

Range

Africa: northeastern Africa semiarid scrub: central Ethiopia and Somalia (except northeastern) south through far southeastern South Sudan to northern Tanzania

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2