Chestnut-eared Bunting Emberiza fucata
Etymology :
- Emberiza : Old German name Embritz for a bunting
- Fucata : Latin word fucatus-Painted, red-painted
- Arcuata: Latin word arcuatus bow-shaped, curved
Vernacular Names: Hindi: Patthar-chiria
Distribution in India: winter visitor in North India.
Description: Size of 16 cm; Weight of 14–21 g. It is a medium-sized bunting, adult with distinctive facial pattern and double breastband. The male of nominate race in breeding plumage has dark-streaked grey crown and nape, bright chestnut ear-coverts, prominent white eyering, narrow black moustachial stripe & white submoustachial stripe. The chin and throat are white, malar stripe is black, malar expanding on breast side and breaking up into black streaks and spots that extend as broad necklace across breast. The mantle and upper back are grey-brown with black streaking. The scapulars, lower back, rump and uppertail-coverts are rufous-brown, feathers are with dark centres. The tail is blackish-brown, rectrices with narrow pointed tips, long narrow white wedge on outer pair, small white spot on tip of next pair. The upperwing is blackish-brown, primaries have brown fringes. The black necklace is bordered below by white breastband, rest of underparts are whitish. It has a chestnut band on side of lower breast (sometimes forming complete band), warm orange-brown wash on sides gradually fading on belly, flanks are narrowly streaked dark. The iris is dark reddish-brown; bill is blackish above, lower mandible is blue-grey to pale pinkish-horn. The legs are pinkish. Male non-breeding is similar to breeding, but head and breast patterns are slightly obscured by pale feather fringes. The female has pattern like that of male, including breastbands, but with duller tones and less well marked, and when fresh, with buffier tones. The juvenile has dull brown ear-coverts heavily edged dark and with small pale spot on rear corner. The upperparts are plain brown and heavily streaked. The rump, scapulars and shoulders are duller chestnut than adult pattern, underparts are buff, fine streaks on breast and sides, pale chestnut flanks. The first-winter resembles non-breeding adult of respective sex, but with even duller tones, worn flight-feathers and pinker lower mandible.
Races differ mainly in levels of colour saturation and amount of chestnut on breast: Race arcuata is found in India. It slightly smaller than nominate. The male is darker above and below, with richer tones and more rufous on back and flanks, whiter throat, broader black gorget, less prominent wingbars. The female has breastband more marked than on nominate.
Habitat: It is found in scrubby hillsides, open areas near marshy fields and wetland fringes, rich floodplain meadows with bushes, and open grassy areas with thickets. In winter it is is seen in cultivated areas, including rice stubbles, and scrubby grassy fields, low bushes and tall grasses adjoining fields and marshes.
Food habits: It eats grass seeds and some insects. It forages on ground usually singly or in small parties. In non-breeding season found in larger flocks; also joins mixed flocks with other Buntings and Brambling.
Breeding habits: They breed in May or early Jun. They have two broods in a season. The nest is built from dry grass blades, weed stems, rootlets and twigs, lined with animal hair, fine roots and grass, placed in depression on ground in dry patch of soil in marsh. The nest is well concealed inside vegetation, or among low branches in bush. They lay a clutch of 3–6 eggs. The eggs are glossy white to yellowish-white or pale greenish-grey with sparse brown marks or sometimes darker spots and fine lines. The incubation period is 12 days.
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