# Little bunting

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The **little bunting** (***Emberiza pusilla***) is a [passerine](/source/Passerine) bird belonging to the [bunting](/source/Emberiza) family ([Emberizidae](/source/Emberizidae)).

## Taxonomy

First described by [Peter Simon Pallas](/source/Peter_Simon_Pallas) in 1776, the little bunting is a [monotypic](/source/Monotypic) species,[1] with no geographical variation across its extensive [Palearctic](/source/Palearctic) range.[2]

The genus name *Emberiza* is from [Old German](/source/Old_High_German) *Embritz*, a bunting. The specific *pusilla* is [Latin](/source/Latin) for "very small".[3]

## Description

This is a small bunting, measuring only 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) in length.[1] It has white underparts with dark streaking on the breast and sides. With its chestnut face and white malar stripe, it resembles a small female [reed bunting](/source/Reed_bunting), but has black crown stripes, a white eye-ring, and a fine dark border to the rear of its chestnut cheeks. The sexes are similar.

The call is a distinctive *zik*, and the song is a rolling *siroo-sir-sir-siroo*.

## Ecology

The little bunting breeds across the [taiga](/source/Taiga) of the far north-east of [Europe](/source/Europe) and northern [Eurosiberia](/source/Palearctic) to the [Russian Far East](/source/Russian_Far_East). It is [migratory](/source/Bird_migration), wintering in the subtropics in northern [India](/source/India), southern [China](/source/China) and the northern parts of south-east Asia.[2] The birds remain in their winter quarters for quite long; specimens were taken in [Yunnan](/source/Yunnan) in late March.[4] It is a rare [vagrant](/source/Vagrancy_in_birds) to western Europe.[2] This [species](/source/Species) is adaptable; in the mountains of [Bhutan](/source/Bhutan) for example, where small numbers winter, it is typically found in an [agricultural](/source/Agricultural) [habitat](/source/Habitat), mostly between 1,000 and 2,000 metres (3,300 and 6,600 ft) [ASL](/source/Above_mean_sea_level).[5]

It breeds in open [coniferous](/source/Conifer) woodland, often with some [birch](/source/Birch) or [willow](/source/Willow). Four to six [eggs](/source/Bird_egg) are laid in a tree nest. Its natural food consists of seeds, or when feeding young, [insects](/source/Insect).

A common and widely-ranging species, it is not considered threatened on the [IUCN Red List](/source/IUCN_Red_List).[6]

## References

1. Byers, Olsson & Curson (1995), p. 154.

1. Byers, Olsson & Curson (1995), p. 156.

1. Jobling, James A. (2010). [*The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names*](https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling). London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. pp. [145](https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n145), 325. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.

1. Bangs, Outram (1932). ["Birds of western China obtained by the Kelley-Roosevelts expedition"](https://archive.org/details/birdsofwesternch1811bang). *[Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Zool. Ser.](/source/Fieldiana_Zoology)*. **18** (11): 343–379.

1. Inskipp, Carol; Inskipp, Tim; Sherub (2000). ["The ornithological importance of Thrumshingla National Park, Bhutan"](http://orientalbirdclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Inskipp-Bhutan.pdf). *[Forktail](/source/Forktail_(journal))*. **16**: 147–162. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140810200320/http://orientalbirdclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Inskipp-Bhutan.pdf) 2014-08-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2014-08-03.

1. BirdLife International (2017). "*Emberiza pusilla*". Vol. 2017. [doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22720954A111137474.en](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22720954A111137474.en). Retrieved 12 November 2021.

### Cited works

- Byers, Clive; Olsson, Urban; Curson, Jon (1995). *Buntings and Sparrows: A Guide to the Buntings and North American Sparrows*. Mountfield, East Sussex, UK: Pica Press. ISBN 1-873403-19-4.

## External links

- [OBC](https://web.archive.org/web/20070918110312/http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?action=searchresult&Bird_ID=1928) 29 photographs (see pulldown menu at page bottom)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Little bunting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_bunting) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_bunting?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.