Little Bunting
Scientific Name: Emberiza pusillaMaltese Name: Durrajsa Qerqnija
Family: Buntings (Emberizidae)
Occurence: Very Rare
Breeds in Malta: No
Overview:
The Little Bunting breeds across the taiga of the far northeast of Europe and northern Asia. It is migratory, wintering in the subtropics in northern India, southern China and the northern parts of southeast Asia. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe. It is a small bunting. It has a heavily streaked brown back and white underparts with fine dark streaking. With its chestnut face and white malar stripe, it resembles a small female Reed Bunting, but has black crown stripes, a white eye-ring, and a fine dark border to the rear of its chestnut cheeks. Sexes are similar. It breeds in open coniferous woodland, often with some birch or willow. 4-6 eggs are laid in a tree nest. Its natural food consists of insects when feeding young, and otherwise seeds.
Status:
Very Rare autumn migrant. 30 records of this rare Bunting.
When to See:
Most records in October and November.
Where to See:
Mostly recorded from Lunzjata Valley in Gozo and Ghadira Nature Reserve.
Photographs:
 |
Little Bunting, 8th November 1987, Lunzjata Valley Gozo |
 |
 |
| Little Bunting, 8th November 1987, Lunzjata Valley Gozo | Little Bunting, 29th October 2009, Ghadira Nature Reserve |
Back to Bird Species List