Birdsong field guide
Black-faced Bunting
Emberiza spodocephala
A common East Asian passerine characterized by the male's olive-grey head and distinctive black facial mask. It is a secretive inhabitant of dense undergrowth and riparian thickets.
What it sounds like
A sharp, metallic 'tzit' or 'zip' call; the song is a short, melodic, and slightly thin warble.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
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Field notes
- The species is divided into three subspecies, with the Japanese race (E. s. personata) being significantly yellower and occasionally proposed as a separate species.
- It is a highly terrestrial forager, spending much of its time hopping through leaf litter to find seeds and small invertebrates.
- While southern populations may be sedentary, northern breeders are long-distance migrants that winter in Southeast Asia and southern China.
- The nest is a well-concealed cup made of dry grass and rootlets, typically placed on the ground or very low in a bush.
- During the non-breeding season, they often form loose, mixed-species flocks with other buntings and finches in agricultural fields.
Habitat
Moist thickets, riverine scrub, reedbeds, and forest edges near water.
Range
Breeds from southern Siberia and northern China to Japan; winters in Southern China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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