Gray Bunting

Overview

Gray Bunting Breeding Male: Medium sized, dark gray bunting with black streaks on back, shoulders, and underparts. Undertail coverts are white. Heavy, pink bill with black tip, culmen. Pink legs and feet. Short flights, alternates rapid wing beats with periods of wings pulled to sides. Secretive.

Range and Habitat

Gray Bunting: Native of Asia; rare visitor to western Aleutians. Preferred habitats include thickets in coniferous and mixed forests in hills and mountains.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Gray Bunting is also known as the Japanese Gray Bunting.
It was first described in 1835 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck, the Dutch aristocrat and zoologist.
A group of buntings are collectively known as a "decoration", "mural", and "sacrifice" of buntings.

The Gray Bunting is a very secretive, small species of birds which is also called the Japanese Gray Bunting. This species is native to Asia, but may also be found in the western Aleutians on occasion. These birds prefer thickets in coniferous and mixed forests found on hills and mountains. The Gray Bunting may be found in China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and even the United States. Northern populations migrate southward during winter months. The typical diet of the Gray Bunting includes insects, seeds, berries and fruit. The current conservation rating of the Gray Bunting is Least Concern.