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Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 596,000 | |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 596,000 | |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Decreasing | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 3.6 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 2,800,000-9,300,000 breeding pairs, equating to 8,400,000-27,900,000 individuals (BirdLife International 2004). Europe forms 50-74% of the global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is 11,400,000-55,800,000 individuals, although further validation of this estimate is needed. | ||||
| Trend justification: The population is suspected to be in decline owing to changing agricultural practices and the removal of hedges and shrubs from parts of its range In Europe, trends since 1980 are uncertain, based on provisional data for 21 countries from the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (EBCC/RSPB/BirdLife/Statistics Netherlands; P. Vorisek in litt. 2008). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Vagrant | No | |||
| Albania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Algeria | Vagrant | No | |||
| Armenia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Austria | Vagrant | No | |||
| Azerbaijan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bahrain | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Brunei | Vagrant | No | |||
| Bulgaria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| China (mainland) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Croatia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Cyprus | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Czech Republic | Vagrant | No | |||
| Denmark | Vagrant | No | |||
| Egypt | Native | No | |||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Finland | Vagrant | No | |||
| France | Vagrant | No | |||
| Georgia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Germany | Vagrant | No | |||
| Greece | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (China) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Iceland | Vagrant | No | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Iraq | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ireland | Vagrant | No | |||
| Israel | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Italy | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Japan | Vagrant | No | |||
| Jordan | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Kazakhstan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Kuwait | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Laos | Vagrant | No | |||
| Latvia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Lebanon | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Libya | Vagrant | No | |||
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Malaysia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Malta | Vagrant | No | |||
| Montenegro | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Morocco | Vagrant | No | |||
| Nepal | Native | No | |||
| Netherlands | Vagrant | No | |||
| Norway | Vagrant | No | |||
| Oman | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Palau | Vagrant | No | |||
| Palestinian Authority Territories | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Poland | Vagrant | No | |||
| Qatar | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Romania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (European) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Saudi Arabia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Serbia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Slovakia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Slovenia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| South Korea | Vagrant | No | |||
| Spain | Vagrant | No | |||
| Sri Lanka | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Sweden | Vagrant | No | |||
| Switzerland | Vagrant | No | |||
| Syria | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Thailand | Vagrant | No | |||
| Tunisia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Turkey | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ukraine | Native | No | Yes | ||
| United Arab Emirates | Native | No | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom | Native | No | Yes |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | Arda Bridge |  |
| Bulgaria | Byala Reka | |
| Bulgaria | Dobrostan | |
| Bulgaria | Krumovitza | |
| Bulgaria | Melnik Pyramids | |
| Bulgaria | Studen Kladenets | |
| Greece | Acheron delta and gorge | |
| Greece | Akarnanika mountains | |
| Greece | Dadias-Dereiou-Aisimis forest | |
| Greece | Lake Distos | |
| Greece | Mavrovouni mountain, Larissa | |
| Greece | Mount Olympos, Lesvos | |
| Greece | Mount Ymittos | |
| Greece | Protected area of Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli forest | |
| Greece | South forest complex of Evros prefecture | |
| Greece | South-west peninsula-petrified forest, Lesvos | |
| Greece | Thessaly plain | |
| Lebanon | Shouf Cedars Nature Reserve | |
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Demir Kapija Gorge | |
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Gradsko-Rosoman-Negotino | |
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Lake Tikvesh | |
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Mariovo | |
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | River Pchinja-river Petroshnica-river Kriva Reka | |
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | River Topolka-river Babuna-river Bregalnica | |
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Taor Gorge | |
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Tikvesh Region | |
| Montenegro | Lake Skadar | |
| Russia (European) | Teberdinski Nature Reserve | |
| Syria | Jabal Slenfeh | |
| Syria | Mount Hermon | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Plantations | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Plantations | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation | suitable | non-breeding |
| Shrubland | Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Temperate | suitable | non-breeding |
| Shrubland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Emberiza melanocephala. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Emberizidae (Buntings, American sparrows and allies) |
| Species name author | Scopoli, 1769 |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 596,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
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