Meadow Bunting Emberiza cioides Scientific name definitions

17 cm; 17–26 g. Relatively large and long-tailed bunting . Male nominate race breeding (plumage worn) has crown chestnut, relatively broad white supercilium , chestnut ear-coverts, contrasting white moustachial stripe and black submoustachial stripe; nape pinkish-buff, side of neck grey, upperparts rufous-brown, streaked dark brown, rump and uppertail-coverts unstreaked chestnut; wing feathers brownish-black, edged reddish or dull brown, median and greater upperwing-coverts narrowly tipped white; tail dark, with extensive white mostly on outermost pair; throat off-white, bordered below by broad chestnut breastband; side of breast and flanks rufous, paling to pinkish-buff on belly and off-white on undertail-coverts; iris brown; upper mandible and bill tip blackish, lower mandible grey; legs greyish-pink. Differs from similar E. jankowskii in having ear-coverts chestnut (rather than grey), less obvious wingbars, unmarked rufous underparts without dark belly patch, and less bold black streaking on mantle. Male non-breeding (plumage fresh) has colours dulled by buffy-grey feather tips, often completely obscuring chestnut breastband, and buffy edges of crown feathers giving impression of narrow central crownstripe; streaking on mantle less well defined owing to pale feather edges. Female resembles male in plumage colour, but somewhat duller, usually with weaker facial pattern, but many are superficially very similar. Juvenile resembles female, but paler buffy brown overall, with head very finely streaked, and breast speckled, rather than streaked; extremely similar to juveniles of E. godlewskii and E. cia. Race <em>tarbagataica</em> is palest, being sandy brown above, streaked darker on mantle, only a little rufous on rump, and with narrow breastband; <em>weigoldi</em> is brighter and more chestnut overall and a little smaller than nominate; castaneiceps is smallest and darkest race, only sparsely streaked above and with brownish lower underparts; <em>ciopsis</em> is distinctive, has slimmer bill, blackish ear-coverts , less contrast between breastband and lower underparts, and some have dusky blotches on breast.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Mostly sedentary or, at most, a short-distance migrant. Remains close to breeding areas in winter, some descending to valley bottoms and gathering into small flocks; more severe weather conditions result in population shifts, but unlikely that any move far from native range. In W Mongolia, present at foot of Mongolian Altai from late Sept to early Apr, with clear maximum in Oct. In Japan a breeding summer visitor to N island of Hokkaido and to nearby Sakhalin I, where arrives in Apr and leaves in Oct; race castaneiceps is rare visitor to Japan. Vagrants reported on some S Japanese islands and on Taiwan.

Diet chiefly grass and weed seeds, augmented by invertebrates during summer. Feeds mostly on ground , hopping with hunched posture. In winter forages in small to medium-sized flocks of c. 30–40 individuals, exceptionally several hundred individuals; mixes freely with finches (Fringillidae) and other buntings, especially at favoured drinking locations, which it visits first thing in morning and again in late afternoon.

Song , from top of small bush or tall tree, a short, simple phrase very similar to that of E. godlewskii, has been transcribed as “chi-hu chee-tsweet-tsweet-tuee”; song of race ciopsis is rather different, having a twittering rhythm, can be transcribed as “ziu-chuhu tsitsirri tsetziz”. Typical call a short, thin, repeated “zit zit zit”.