Cinereous bunting facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cinereous bunting |
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The cinereous bunting (its scientific name is Emberiza cineracea) is a type of bird. It belongs to the bunting family, which is different from the finch family. A scientist named Christian Ludwig Brehm first described this bird in 1855.
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Where They Live
This bird makes its nests and raises its young in places like southern Turkey and southern Iran. When winter comes, it flies to warmer areas around the Red Sea, in parts of north-eastern Africa and Yemen. You might also find a few of these birds on islands in the Aegean Sea in Europe.
Their Home
Cinereous buntings like to live and breed on dry, rocky mountain slopes.
What They Look Like
The cinereous bunting is a fairly large bird, about 16–17 centimeters (6-7 inches) long. It's quite slim and has a long tail with white corners. The word cinereous means ash-grey, which describes its main color. This bird doesn't have as many stripes as other buntings. It has a thick, light-colored beak. Its back is mostly grey with some faint dark marks, and its wings look a bit brownish.
Males and Females
Adult male cinereous buntings have a dull yellow head. They have a brighter yellow stripe near their beak (like a mustache) and a bright yellow throat. In some areas, like south-west Turkey, the rest of their body is grey. But in eastern areas, they have yellow underparts.
Female cinereous buntings are brownish-grey on their backs. They have a whitish throat and only a yellow stripe near their beak. Young birds have a plain light-colored belly and some stripes on their chest.
What They Eat and How They Breed
Like other buntings, the cinereous bunting mainly eats seeds. However, when they are feeding their young, they also eat insects. A female cinereous bunting usually lays three eggs at a time.
Their Song
The call of the cinereous bunting sounds like a harsh tschrip. Their song is a rough zru- zru-zru-zru.
