Black-headed Bunting
The black-headed bunting (Emberiza melanocephala) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It breeds in south-east Europe east to Iran and migrates in winter mainly to India, with some individuals moving further into south-east Asia. Like others in its family, it is found in open grassland habitats where they fly in flocks in search of grains and seed. Adult males are well marked with yellow underparts, chestnut back and a black head. Adult females in breeding plumage look like duller males. In other plumages, they can be hard to separate from the closely related red-headed bunting and natural hybridization occurs between the two species in the zone of overlap of their breeding ranges in northern Iran. == Taxonomy == The black-headed bunting was formally described in 1769 by the Austrian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli under the binomial name Emberiza melanocephala. The type locality is Carniola in Slovenia. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The genus name Emberiza is from Old German Embritz, a bunting, and the specific melanocephala combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black", and kephale meaning "head". == Description == This bird is 15 cm (5.9 in) long, larger than a reed bunting, and…
Vanoise National Park
Val-Cenis, France
+105 birds+21 mammals
Where granite peaks fracture the Alpine sky above 4,000 meters, Vanoise’s 1,716 square kilometers unfold as France’s oldest national park […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTbilisi National Park
Tezami, Georgia
150+ birds
Where the Caucasus foothills descend toward Georgia’s capital, pristine river valleys and limestone cliffs create a remarkable patchwork of habitats […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKJavakheti National Park
Bozali, Georgia
+148 birds+6 mammals
Dawn breaks over a high-altitude plateau where volcanic peaks pierce the Caucasian sky, their slopes cloaked in alpine meadows that […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPirin National Park
Bansko, Bulgaria
+133 birds+21 mammals
Where jagged limestone peaks pierce the Macedonian sky, ancient glacial valleys cradle some of Bulgaria’s most pristine wilderness. This southwestern […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKStrandzha Nature Park
Kondolovo, Bulgaria
+132 birds+23 mammals
Where the Rhodope Mountains descend toward the Black Sea coast, ancient forests rise above limestone plateaus in a tapestry of […]
VIEW NATURAL PARKCentral Balkan National Park
Zhidov dol, Bulgaria
+111 birds+21 mammals
Where granite peaks pierce the Bulgarian highlands, ancient beech and conifer forests blanket mountains that rise dramatically from the Balkan […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVratsa Balkan
Zgorigrad, Bulgaria
+137 birds+19 mammals
Where limestone cliffs plunge into deep river canyons and beech forests give way to rocky karst plateaus, one of Bulgaria’s […]
VIEW NATURE RESERVEMount Parnitha National Park
Municipal Unit of Acharnes, Greece
+135 birds+15 mammals
Where granite ridges rise dramatically above the Athenian sprawl, a remarkable wilderness unfolds across nearly 38,000 hectares of Mediterranean terrain. […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSounio National Park
Municipal Unit of Ayios Konstantinos, Greece
+135 birds+15 mammals
Where the Athenian coast fractures into dramatic rocky promontories, ancient marble cliffs plunge toward the Aegean in a landscape that […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKButrint National Park
Vagalat, Albania
+133 birds+17 mammals
Where Ionian breezes meet the Corfu Channel, saltmarsh and freshwater lagoons create a mosaic of habitats that pulse with life […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKerkini Lake National Park
Serres, Greece
+132 birds+25 mammals
Where the Strymon River winds through northeastern Greece, a sprawling freshwater lake mirrors the dramatic Belasitsa Mountains, creating one of […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGir National Park
Asundrali, India
150+ birds+12 mammals
Where granite ridges rise above dense deciduous forest and seasonal rivers carve through sandstone cliffs, a remarkable refuge persists in […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNo community photos yet. Log in to add the first one.
No community observations of this species yet.