adult male

adult male adult female European distribution male rear view

Identification

The males are quite gorgeous with their black heads, brilliant yellow underparts and rich reddish-brown upperparts. The females are much duller although they often show at least a hint of yellow, especially on the undertail coverts and the head is usually distinctly darker than the throat, creating a hooded effect which mimics the pattern of the male. Otherwise they look like big, fairly long-bodied buntings with an obvious white eye-ring, rather sandy-brown plumage, a striking pale wing panel and a rich chestnut coloured rump. The lack of white outer-tail feathers also separates them from most other buntings.

Habitat

Breeds on wooded hillsides and areas of scrub.

Migration

Migratory, wintering in western and central India. Arrives in the breeding areas in late April or May and departs in July or early August.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Black-headed Bunting is classed as Rare: species currently considered for acceptance by the British Birds Rarities Committee (or forms of equivalent rarity).

Undisclosed, Macedonia (Republic of) 04/06/2010	Pepeliste, Macedonia (Republic of) 23/05/2010	Lesvos, North Aegean, Greece 07/05/2010	Thracian Plain, Bulgaria 10/05/2010	Thracian Plain, Bulgaria 10/05/2010
Agios Nikolaos-Mandria, Cyprus 05/05/2010	Tsiknias River, Lesvos, North Aegean, Greece 01/05/2010	Kavadarci, Macedonia (Republic of) 30/07/2009	Kavadarci, Macedonia (Republic of) 30/07/2009	Kazan, Ankara, Turkey (Asian) 15/06/2009

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This species has been reported in the following areas (Bird News Extra subscribers can click a county name for more details):

Black-headed Bunting breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Albania
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Georgia
Greece
Italy
Macedonia
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Turkey
Ukraine

http://www.avibirds.com/euhtml/Black-Headed_Bunting.html   Avibirds: Black-headed Bunting	Edit this link
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http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob18810.htm   BTO BirdFacts: Black-headed Bunting	Edit this link
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	Days to Remember: A bunting in the garden	Tuesday 16th May 2006
	Many of us peer hopefully into our gardens on a daily basis hoping for something unusual. Devon birder Paul Boulden got a massive shock when he peered out through his curtains last May.

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