Pine Bunting
Emberiza leucocephalos Gmelin, SG, 1771 (2, 0)
Photo © Phil Woollen - Fair Isle, 18 October 2016
STATUS
Palearctic. Polytypic.
OVERVIEW
Both records accepted by the BOU (1971).
RECORDS
1). 1911 Fair Isle No locality, male, obtained, 30th October, now at National Museums of Scotland (NMSZ 1912.147.1).
(W. E. Clarke, Scottish Naturalist 1912: 8-9; Eds., British Birds 5: 239-240; Clarke, 1912; W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 32: 281; Anon., Ibis 1912: 553; Pennington et al., 2004; Forrester & Andrews et al., 2007).
History Wm. Eagle Clarke (1912) in the Scottish Naturalist, Vol. XXXII. pp. 8-9, says: 'Pine Bunting (Emberiza leucocephala) at Fair Isle. - On the 30th of October last, Mr. Wilson, the bird-watcher at Fair Isle, found this bird among a rush of migrants, and knowing that it was a stranger, secured it and sent it to me for identification.
It is a male in full winter plumage, in which stage the brilliant chestnut on the head, throat, and neck are masked by the white tips to their feathers. In spring these tips are shed, and reveal the bird as one of the handsomest of Buntings....It has never before been known to have visited the British Isles....The Scottish specimen has the crown and nape whitish and much streaked with grey; mantle and scapulars a mixture of greyish buff and rufous streaked with black, especially on the middle of the back; lower back and upper tail coverts rufous, the latter edged with white; primaries blackish, narrowly edged with white; secondaries and wing-coverts with black centres, rufous bands, and white fringes; lores, band over eyes to side of neck, - cheeks, throat, and chest chestnut margined with white, which more or less conceals the rich underlying tint; ear coverts dusky, with a central band of greyish white which extends to the gape; an inconspicuous white patch on the throat, the feathers having grey margins; abdomen white; flanks white streaked with pale brown; tail blackish, narrowly edged with white, the two outer pairs of feathers with the terminal portion of the inner web chiefly white. Feet yellowish grey. Wing 3.65 inches....It has been considered desirable to describe this bird, as no description of it is to be found in any works devoted to British birds. The plumage is that in which they are most likely to occur as visitors to our islands.'
In an Editorial (1912) in British Birds, Vol. V. pp. 239-240, says: 'In the first number of the Scottish Naturalist, formerly known as the Annals of Scottish Natural History, Mr. W. Eagle Clarke announces the occurrence of a male Pine Bunting (E. leucocephala) at Fair Isle on October 30th, 1911.
The bird was noted as a stranger amongst a rush of migrants by Mr. Wilson the "Bird-watcher", and was procured and forwarded to Mr. Clarke (Scot. Nat., 1912, p. 8). The male Pine Bunting in winter-plumage is somewhat like a Yellow Bunting with the yellow replaced by white, but the entire throat, cheeks, sides of the neck and upper-breast are chestnut, though this colour is much obscured by the grey fringes of the feathers, as is a white spot at the base of the throat. The belly is white as well as the flanks, the latter being streaked with chestnut. The centre of the crown is greyish-white, and the rest of the upper-parts are much like those in the Yellow Bunting, but are more chestnut, not so yellowish. In summer the bird becomes markedly different by the abrasion of the feathers. The throat, lores, and a streak over and behind the eye becoming rich chestnut, ear-coverts white, centre of the crown white, and the rest of the top of the head black. A broad patch of white at the base of the throat is conspicuous, and the chestnut on the upper-breast and flanks as well as on the upper-parts is very much brighter, owing to the wearing off of the grey tips of the feathers.
The female more nearly resembles that of the Yellow Bunting, but the yellow on the under-parts (including axillaries and under wing-coverts) and top of the head, is replaced by greyish-white, and the upper-breast and flanks are marked with chestnut.
The Pine Bunting breeds from west Siberia (Ural) to east Siberia, and migrates to China, Mongolia, Turkestan, and casually to Europe (Italy, Dalmatia, Russia, south France, Austria, Heligoland).'
Clarke (1912 (2): 182) under 'Addenda' in 'The Birds of Fair Isle' says: 'Pine Bunting - A male of this native of Siberia was obtained on 30th October 1911. It is not known to have previously visited the British Isles.'
Anon. (1912) in The Ibis, Vol. LIV. p. 553, under 'Additions to the British Bird-list', says: 'In No. 1 of the Scottish Naturalist for this year Mr. Eagle Clarke announces the occurrence of a Pine Bunting (Emberiza leucocephala) at Fair Isle on October 30th, 1911. This intruder from the East is quite new to the British List.'
W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Editor (1913) in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, Vol. XXXII. p. 281, on the unexpected occurrences for 1911, says: 'Male shot, Fair Isle (Shetland), October 30th.'
Pennington et al. (2004) add: 'Shot by Jerome Wilson from a fall of migrants on 30th October 1911 at Fair Isle, and sent to Wm. Eagle Clarke at the National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh.'
Forrester & Andrews et al. (2007) add: '...a male in winter plumage, bearing accession no. (NMSZ 1912.147.1).'
2). 1943 Orkney Papa Westray, male, seen, 15th October.
(G. T. Arthur, British Birds 37: 196; Baxter & Rintoul, 1953; Forrester & Andrews et al., 2007).
History G. T. Arthur (1944) in British Birds, Vol. XXXVII. p. 196, says: 'On 15th October 1943, I had a close view of a male Pine Bunting on Papa Westray, Orkney. I watched it from a window from a range of about 12 feet, feeding amongst some rather long grass.
The crown and nape appeared a slightly dirty white or what I might describe as white with a few grey feathers in it. Round the white except at the nape ran a distinct black band, pretty broad in front from the base of the bill to the start of the white crown. Under this black band was a russet patch stretching from the bill under the eye to the black fringing the crown. Under this was another streak of greyish white, which it struck me might be best described as shaped somewhat like a Ghurka's kukri with the handle forward. Below this was a triangular russet patch on the chin, extending from the base of the beak to the upper throat, with a few blackish feathers at the sides of the neck, and below this a white bib with a few greyish streaks at the base. A narrow band of chestnut feathers stretched across the breast. The rest of the breast and belly were white merging at the sides into chestnut streaked with white. The mantle and scapulars merged from the greyish white on crown and nape into chestnut streaked with black and the rump was light chestnut. The primaries were distinctly white-edged and the lesser wing-coverts gave one the impression of being dark near the back, merging into very light at the side.
The bird was very tame and I watched it for half an hour without going outside. When I made it fly the white under-belly showed distinctly. The axillaries showed up darkish grey surrounded by white and the under-wing was greyish white shading into chestnut and dark brown on the under wing-coverts. I followed the bird, which settled not far away, and paid attention to the beak colour and legs. The upper mandible was dark greyish brown, shading into palish brown on the lower mandible. The legs were roughly the same colour, but yellowish tinged.
It appeared to be feeding on grass seeds. A south-easterly gale had been blowing for three days.'
Admitted nationally for Scotland (Baxter & Rintoul 1953; Forrester & Andrews et al. 2007).
