Red-headed Bunting

The red-headed bunting (Emberiza bruniceps) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It breeds in central Asia, including Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia; Russia (European Russia, Central Asian Russia), Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China. It is migratory, wintering in India and Bangladesh. Its status in western Europe, where it is a vagrant, has been confused by escapes, especially as this species has been more commonly recorded than the closely related black-headed bunting, despite the latter having a more westerly breeding range. Reports in Britain have declined dramatically over recent years, coinciding with the decline in some Emberizidae species from the impact of illegal trade. An individual found on Shetland in 2010 was deemed to be wild in origin.

The red-headed bunting breeds in open scrubby areas including agricultural land. It lays three to five eggs in a nest in a tree or bush. Its natural food consists of seeds, or when feeding young, insects.