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Pine Bunting

Pine Bunting
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Emberizidae
Genus:Emberiza
Species:leucocephala
Binomial name
Emberiza leucocephala
The Pine Bunting, Emberiza leucocephala, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

It breeds across much of temperate Asia, migrating south to central Asia, north India and southern China in winter. It is common in all sorts of open areas with some scrub or trees, including cultivation, but has a greater preference for open forest (usually pine) than the closely related Yellowhammer. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe.

The is a robust bird, with a thick seed-eater's bill. The male has a white crown and cheeks, and a chestnut forehead and throat, and a heavily streaked brown back. The female is much duller, and more streaked below. Non-breeding plumages are like a Yellowhammer with all the yellow replaced by white.

The song and calls are like Yellowhammer.

Its natural food consists of insects when feeding young, and otherwise seeds. The nest is on the ground. 4-6 eggs are laid, which show the hair-like markings characteristic of those of buntings.