Description:

Handsome long-tailed, large bunting with a distinctive face pattern consisting of a dark brown ear patch and mustache. Male is mostly rufous-brown with dark streaks on the back and Boldly-patterned head is brown with white eyebrows and grey sides to the neck. The outer tail-feathers are white and the legs are pinkish-brown. Females are similar but are duller and paler.

Distribution:

Vagrant during the passage, with only records in Hunza district in Gilgit-Baltistan. Commonly found in dry, open habitats with a range of different vegetation cover, including shrubland, forest edges, farmlands and open meadows.

Behavior:

Forages mainly on ground, flying up to branches of nearby trees when disturbed. Outside breeding season usually in small flocks. Diet consists mostly of plant material with seeds from grass and weeds, with the addition of small invertebrates, generally in the summer and during breeding.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Chestnut Bunting in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Chestnut Bunting

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.