Passeriformes / Emberizidae / Emberiza
Chestnut-eared Bunting
Emberiza fucata · 栗耳鹀
Introduction
A passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. Breeds from the Himalayas across China to south-eastern Siberia, Korea, and northern Japan, migrating south for winter. Prefers scrub, fields, and grassland habitats.
Description
Length is 15 to 16 cm. Plumage is mostly brown with dark streaks. Males have a grey crown and nape with dark streaks, chestnut ear-coverts, and black and chestnut bands across the breast. A rufous patch is present on the shoulders, and the rump is rufous. Females are similar but duller with less distinct head and breast patterns. First-winter birds are plainer, showing warm brown ear-coverts and an obvious eye ring.
Identification
Voice is similar to the rustic bunting but quieter. The song is a rapid twittering starting with staccato notes, accelerating, and ending with a distinctive two or three note phrase. The call is an explosive pzick.
Distribution & Habitat
Breeding range extends from the Himalayas locally across China to south-eastern Siberia, Korea, and northern Japan. Northern populations migrate south to winter in southern Japan, southern China, Taiwan, north-eastern India, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia. Vagrant to Kazakhstan; first European record occurred at Fair Isle, Scotland, in October 2004. Preferred habitats include scrub, fields, and grassland. Three subspecies exist: E. f. fucata in the northern range; E. f. arcuata in the Himalayas and south-west/central China (darker with broader breastbands); and E. f. kuatunensis in south-east China (darker, more rufous above, with narrower breastbands).
Behavior & Ecology
Builds a cup-shaped nest at ground level or low in a bush. Clutch size is three to six eggs, with four being most common. Eggs are whitish with reddish-brown speckling and are incubated for 12 days. Breeding season varies: May to August in India, May to July in Honshū, and June to August in Hokkaidō.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Emberizidae
- Genus
- Emberiza
Vocalizations
Subspecies (3)
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Emberiza fucata arcuata
breeds Himalayas (Pakistan to Bangladesh; northern Yunnan); winters to Myanmar
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
