Photo: Lip Kee from Singapore, Republic of Singapore / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Masked Bunting
Emberiza personata
Masked Bunting (Emberiza personata) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Masked Bunting (Emberiza personata) is a member of the Emberizidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 18.4 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Emberizidae Buntings
- Genus Emberiza
- Species personata
Where it lives
Temperate far northeastern Palearctic woodland edge: southern Sakhalin and Kuril Is. (southeastern Russia), Hokkaido and northern, central Honshu (northern, central Japan)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 18.4 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Emberizidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Masked Bunting is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Masked Bunting is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Masked Bunting (Emberiza personata) belongs to the Emberizidae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL temperate far ne Palearctic woodland edge: s Sakhalin and Kuril Is. (se Russia), Hokkaido and n, c Honshu (n, c Japan).
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 18.4 g, with a wing length of about 7 cm and a tail of around 6.2 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 150,000 km².
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Masked Bunting?
The Masked Bunting is a small bird that weighs around 18.4 g.
Where does the Masked Bunting live?
The Masked Bunting is found across Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL temperate far ne Palearctic woodland edge: s Sakhalin and Kuril Is. (se Russia), Hokkaido and n, c Honshu (n, c Japan), where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Masked Bunting belong to?
The Masked Bunting (Emberiza personata) belongs to the Emberizidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Masked Bunting eat?
The Masked Bunting is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Masked Bunting migrate?
The Masked Bunting is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Masked Bunting endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
How large is the Masked Bunting's range?
The Masked Bunting has a mapped global range of about 150,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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