Birding

Buntings of Nanhui, Shanghai

January 23, 2020 by Kai Pflug 2 Comments

I feel that like most bird families (with the obvious exception of pheasants), buntings are somewhat underrated. They lack both the flashiness larger birds and the “I am more of an expert birder than you” appeal of warblers. In other words, they are my kind of birds. At my regular birding spot at Nanhui, Shanghai, five or six species of buntings can be seen fairly regularly, and about the same number very occasionally.

Even the male Black-faced Bunting is not very black-faced, and the female is even less so.

The Chestnut Bunting is among the more attractive (and rare) of the buntings showing up here.

Chestnut-eared Bunting

The Japanese Reed Bunting is a rare winter visitor that I find relatively difficult to distinguish from the much more common Pallas Bunting.

Japanese Reed Bunting


Pallas Bunting

The Little Bunting – as the name suggests – is probably the cutest of the family.

Rustic Bunting used to be fairly rare at Nanhui but this winter there are some large flocks.

I am particularly fond of Tristam`s Bunting – maybe the smartest-looking of the family.

The creativity of those who named buntings seems to have been fairly limited – witness the next four buntings that can be found at Nanhui:

Yellow Bunting

Yellow-breasted Bunting (critically endangered due to trapping in Southern China – what a shame!)

Yellow-browed Bunting

Yellow-throated Bunting (used to be called Elegant Bunting, which is a bit more creative …)

Now for some bonus buntings – buntings not usually seen at Nanhui but elsewhere …

Others have seen the Meadow Bunting at Nanhui, but I am still waiting for my first sighting here. The photo was taken at Xiaoyangshan, about 30 km away from Nanhui.

And if you are willing to travel a bit further within China, you can see the Crested Bunting, which arguably has a bit more star quality …

I`ve seen three more buntings – one in Germany (Yellowhammer) and two in South Africa (Cape Bunting, Golden-breasted Bunting).

Yellowhammer

Cape Bunting

Golden-breasted Bunting

Always interesting to see new species of families one is already familiar with – like cover versions of favorite songs …

And if you want to see even more bunting photos (unlikely, I know), take a look here …

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 21 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well.He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.