Yellow-browed Bunting

Yellow-browed Bunting

Emberiza chrysophrys

Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Ningbo

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

12 Verified sightings at Ningbo
April 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 Ningbo?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-browed Bunting sighting in Ningbo on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 44th most-seen of the 61 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

April

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-browed Bunting in Ningbo on a given day, against under 5% in March, May and September, the lowest months.

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

Among the best

Of the 11 cities where we can rate Yellow-browed Bunting sightings, Ningbo ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Jinhua (China, about 10%).

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

Same genus: Emberiza

The closest relatives of the Yellow-browed Bunting that you can see in Ningbo (genus Emberiza, Old World Buntings) are Black-faced Bunting (about 30%) and Tristram's 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 Ningbo (12 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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