HKBWS BBS 香港觀鳥會新聞組


    
      
        HKBWS BBS 香 港 觀 鳥 會 新 聞 組
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        Discussion Area 討論區 >> Photo Gallery 相片分享 I >>  Chestnut-eared Bunting 栗耳巫鳥
        
(Message started by: Lynx on Oct 26^th, 2003, 3:07pm)

Title: Chestnut-eared Bunting 栗耳巫鳥
Post by Lynx on Oct 26^th, 2003, 3:07pm

401 Chestnut-eared Bunting 栗耳巫鳥
Long Valley 塱原
Dear all,

Would you please help me to identify this bird I saw in Long Valley this morning?
http://www.9014316.com/birds/223_2357_chestnut-eared_bunting.JPG
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/fileServer/PhotoG/henry_chu/Henry_Chu_035.jpg

Title: Re: Pallas's Reed Bunting?
Post by Falcon on Oct 26^th, 2003, 4:01pm

This could be a Little Bunting.

Title: Re: Pallas's Reed Bunting?
Post by Mike Turnbull on Oct 26^th, 2003, 8:20pm

Hi Lynx,

This is certainly not either a Pallas's Reed or Yell.-breasted Bunting - I'm wondering why you picked on those two quite different birds out of the range of bunting possibilities, but I hope that doesn't sound discouraging. It's not meant to, it's just that there are so many reasons why it isn't either!

Falcon's right it could just be a Little Bunting, but I think it's a Chestnut-eared Bunting Emberiza fucata for several reasons;

(i) the supercilium is grey in tone; in Little it's the same tone as the ear coverts area, though perhaps a little paler
(ii) the pale line coming down from the bill is broader, paler and thus more striking than in Little.
(iii) there seems to be quite an extensive orange tone about the underparts
(iv) there's actually relatively limited streaking on the underparts
(v) the eye-ring is exceptionally striking
(vi) the bill is relatively large and has a pink tone - in Little it's smaller and grey, with just a bit of pink at the cutting edges.

(I don't have a photographic memory btw, I'm looking at several photos of both in a Japanese photo guide)

This is a good record, should be reported to Birdline and must be submitted with the rest of your records before the end of Jan 04, via the Excel file available on this siite. Chestnut-eared Bunting is barely annual in HK. In 99 there was only one in autumn and 00 there were three, all between 14 Oct and 4 November.

Also it's a nice photo - those of us who are not really photographers do enjoy the opportunity to look at photos like this.

Mike Turnbull.

Title: Re: Pallas's Reed Bunting?
Post by Lynx on Oct 28^th, 2003, 10:52pm

Thanks Mike and Falcon for your valuable comments and advice!

I thought it was a Pallas because it has overall paler upperpart and the colour of the bill. I stated yellow-breast also because there were reports of sighting in Long Valley in the past weeks.

I have learnt so much from reading your replies ;D Thanks a lot!