Pallas's reed bunting
| Pallas's reed bunting | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Emberizidae |
| Genus: | Emberiza |
| Species: | E. pallasi
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| Binomial name | |
| Emberiza pallasi (Cabanis, 1851)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Pallas's reed bunting (Emberiza pallasi), also known as Pallas's bunting, is a passerine bird in the Emberiza family, Emberizidae. Most modern authors now separate this group from the finches, Fringillidae.
Taxonomy
[edit]The bird family Emberizidae contains around 300 seed-eating species, most of which are found in the Americas. The genus Emberiza, with more than 40 members, is confined to the Old World.[2] Within the genus Emberiza, the Pallas's reed bunting is most closely related to the Japanese reed bunting and the reed bunting, sometimes classified in the genus Schoeniclus.
The genus name Emberiza comes from the Old German word Embritz, meaning "bunting". The English name and the specific pallasii commemorate German naturalist and explorer Peter Simon Pallas.[3] It breeds across northern and central Asia to Mongolia. It is a migrant species, wintering in southeast Asia. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe, but has occurred as far west as Great Britain.
Subspecies
[edit]Three subspecies are recognised: E. p. polaris, which occurs in most of northeast European Russia and north Kamchatka and winters in eastern China; E. p. pallasi, which is found in Mongolia and Transbaikalia and winters in west and north China; and E. p. lydiae, which occurs in south Siberia and northern Mongolia and winters in north China.[4]
Habitat
[edit]It is common in tundra scrub by water, and also breeds in drier open areas such as open larch forest.
Description
[edit]The Pallas's reed bunting is a small passerine bird, similar to a small reed bunting and possesses a small seed-eater's bill. The male has a black head and throat, a white neck collar and underparts, and a heavily streaked grey back (the reed bunting has a browner back). The female is much duller, with a streaked brown head, and is less streaked below than the female reed bunting.
The song of the male is a repetitive sherp.
Behaviour
[edit]Its natural diet consists of insects when feeding young, and otherwise seeds.
Breeding
[edit]Breeding occurs between June and August, earlier in the north of its range. The nest, typically made from grasses and sedges, is in a bush and lined with finer materials such as smaller grasses and hair. The bunting lays 3–5 cream-colored eggs, which show the hair-like markings characteristic of bunting eggs. The incubation period is 11 days.
References
[edit]- ^ BirdLife International (2019). "Emberiza pallasi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T22721007A155521748. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22721007A155521748.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ Hoyo, Josep del; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi; Christie, David A (eds.). "Emberizidae". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 13 April 2014. (subscription required)
- ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. pp. 145, 289. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ Copete, J.L. "Pallas's Bunting". Birds of the World. Retrieved 8 May 2020.