Buntings · Perching birds

Black-headed Bunting

Emberiza melanocephala

About the species

In breeding plumage, the male wears a black head over bright yellow underparts, with chestnut on the back and rump. The female is much quieter in color, with soft gray-brown and yellowish tones, and the young look similar to her.

It moves in flocks and feeds while searching open ground for seeds. The call is a brief “tweet” or soft “zrit,” and the song turns into a fast, jangling run of notes that stops abruptly.

It lives in open grassland, scrub, and farm fields, and often uses dry, open country as well. Insects matter most when feeding young, while seeds make up the rest of the diet, and it migrates south for winter, mainly to India.

Where to find

On dry vacant lots and weedy edges, look for Black-headed Bunting dashing in short bursts on the ground, picking at scattered seeds.
Along the margins of city meadows, neglected strips, and grassy road verges — a sharp, ringing call often comes from a low bush.
Near fields, allotments, and open edges outside dense housing, it often feeds close to the grass line in the early morning and barely flushes.
On dry embankments and step-like slopes beyond the city, the male is easiest to notice when singing from the top of a shrub or thin stalk.