Little Bunting, 5/1/2012

After I finished photographing the Himalayan Cuckoos at a windbreak forest by the sea, I headed for Cingshuei Wetland to search for more birds. On my way to the wetland, I saw this Little Bunting resting on a branch of a bush inside a deserted farm field. At first sight, I knew it's some kind of bunting which I had never met before. After some shots fired from my camera, other birdwatching fans came one by one and asked me what I was shooting at. I said I don't know. Not until a birdwatching fan of whom I know arrived and told me the name of the bird that I know it's a Little Bunting. It's breeding season. This bunting has a bright reddish brown head and face, rather colorful compared to ordinary buntings. It's a winter migratory bird rarely seen in Taiwan. The farthest species of its kind would come from as far as Siberia. It's amazing that the bird is capable of flying long distance across the sea to Taiwan.

















Video recorded on 5/1/2012, at Cingshuei Wetland, Jinshan District, New Taipei City.

Chinese name:	小鵐
English name:	Little Bunting
Nickname:
Scientific name:	Emberiza pusilla
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Emberizidae
Species status:	Species
Conservation status:	Least Concern
Migration status:	Winter migratory bird in Taiwan
Frequency of appearance:	Rare in Taiwan
Foods:	seeds
Habitat:	Grasslands, bushes
Altitude:	Low altitude
Behavior:	Often appear in grasslands and farm fields near sea shore, or in bushes near woodlands or riverside.
Characteristics:	General Characteristics: About 13 cm long. Plumage is mainly brown. Head top and face are reddish brown with horizontal black stripes. Back is gray. Breast and belly are gray-white. Bill is black. Feet are brown.
Breeding places:	North Europe, Finland, Northeast Siberia.
Migration destinations:	The species from North Europe will move to central and south Europe for wintering. The species from Northeast Siberia will move to Northeast Indonesia, Nepal, South China, Taiwan, Philippines, Brunei, Southeast Asia and Myanmar for wintering, stopping by Mongolia, Northeast China and Korea.
Time photographed:	5/1/2012
Location found:	Jinshan District, New Taipei City
Sources:	Internet
Notes: