Emberizidae – Old-World Buntings

The buntings are a group of Old World passerine birds forming the genus Emberiza, the only genus in the family Emberizidae. The family contains 44 species. They are seed-eating birds with stubby, conical bills. The family was formerly much larger and included the species now placed in the Passerellidae (New-World sparrows) and Calcariidae (longspurs and snow buntings).

 Molecular phylogenetic studies found that that large family consisted of distinct clades that were better treated as separate families. A large DNA-based study of the passerines (2019) found that the buntings are most closely related to the Calcariidae. Species in the New World genus Passerina include the word ‘bunting’ in their common names, but are now classed in the family Cardinalidae.

They are a widespread group of small passerines generally endowed with modest plumages, aside from a handful with bright-yellow wash on the breast or head. They, like many unrelated birds known as ‘sparrows’, fit their open-country landscapes, primarily in earth tones, with contrasting bars or splashes of black around the face. Their distinctive songs often enable easy identification.

Somali Bunting Emberiza poliopleura

Pine Bunting Emberiza leucocephalos

After breeding, they moult into even drabber plumage, ratcheting up the challenge of species identification. As with many seed-eating species of open terrain, they tend to switch during the breeding season to a higher-protein diet rich with insects, especially for feeding their young.

All have stout bills, reflecting the preponderance of seeds (mostly of grasses and cereals) in their diet, though they do frequently take insects. In many species the bill can move sideways, allowing birds to husk seeds before eating them. Emberizids are small birds, typically around 15cm in length, with finch-like bills and nine primary feathers. They tend to have brown-streaked plumage, although many species have distinctive head patterns. Birds vary in plumage colouration, from the streaky brown of the Corn Bunting to the bright colours of the Yellowhammer; in the more brightly coloured species the female is usually duller than the male.

House Bunting Emberiza sahari

Gosling’s Bunting Emberiza goslingi

Although most buntings are monogamous and territorial, some species, such as the Reed Bunting indulge in extra-pair copulations, some like the Corn Bunting are polygamous, while one or two species form no pair bonds at all, when the female is ready to lay her eggs, she will mate repeatedly with two or three males (who themselves will mate with several females).

Golden-breasted Bunting Emberiza flaviventris

Cabanis’s Bunting Emberiza cabanisi

In the non-breeding season, they are often gregarious forming large flocks (sometimes with finches) roaming the countryside looking for seeds. With a few exceptions, emberizids build cup-shaped nests from grasses and other plant fibres.