Yellow-browed Bunting

Yellow-browed Bunting

Emberiza chrysophrys

Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Nanjing

In 3 days ~10%

11 Verified sightings at Nanjing
December Best month

About the Yellow-browed Bunting

The yellow-browed bunting (Emberiza chrysophrys) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern taxonomists from the finches (Fringillidae). The genus name Emberiza is from Old German Embritz, a bunting. The specific chrysophrys is from Ancient Greek khrusophrus, "golden-browed".

It breeds in eastern Siberia and is migratory, wintering in central and southern China. It is a very rare wanderer to western Europe. The yellow-browed bunting breeds in the taiga zone, and lays four eggs in an arboreal nest. In the wild, the adults' diet consists of seeds, but they feed insects to nestlings.

This bird is smaller than a reed bunting, but is relatively large-headed. The upper parts are brown and heavily streaked, and the underparts are white with an orange hue on the flanks and some fine dark streaks. Their stout beaks are pink.

The breeding male has a black head with white crown and moustachial stripes and throat. There is a bright yellow eyebrow stripe. Females and young birds have a weaker head pattern, with brown instead of black, and can be confused with little buntings; however, there is always some yellow in the eyebrow, as well as at least a hint of a white stripe on the crown. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Nocturnal flight call0:09

China · 2026

© Xiangrong Yan · XC1180243 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:12

China · 2026

© Lim Ying Hien 林勇贤 · XC1148206 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:36

China · 2025

© Peter Boesman · XC988502 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Jinhua 🇨🇳 China
~10%
2 Ningbo 🇨🇳 China
~10%
3 Hangzhou 🇨🇳 China
~10%
4 Shanghai 🇨🇳 China
<5%
5 Beijing 🇨🇳 China
<5%
6 Nanjing 🇨🇳 China
<5%
7 Suzhou 🇨🇳 China
<5%
8 Wuhan 🇨🇳 China
<5%
9 Tianjin 🇨🇳 China
<5%
10 Taipei 🇹🇼 Taiwan
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-browed Bunting in Nanjing?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-browed Bunting sighting in Nanjing on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 118th most-seen of the 162 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Yellow-browed Bunting in Nanjing?

December

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-browed Bunting in Nanjing on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Nanjing's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 240 mm in July.

Is Nanjing the best place to see a Yellow-browed Bunting?

6th of 11

Of the 11 cities where we can rate Yellow-browed Bunting sightings, Nanjing ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Jinhua (China, about 10%), Ningbo (China, about 10%) and Hangzhou (China, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Yellow-browed Bunting live in Nanjing?

Same genus: Emberiza

The closest relatives of the Yellow-browed Bunting that you can see in Nanjing (genus Emberiza, Old World Buntings) are Yellow-throated Bunting (about 10%) and Black-faced Bunting (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Yellow-browed Bunting sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Yellow-browed Bunting is recorded against all the birds logged in Nanjing (11 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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