Cirl Bunting

Emberiza cirlus - Bruant zizi

Systematics

Order
:
Passeriformes
Family
:
Emberizidés
Genus
:
Emberiza
Species
:
cirlus

Descriptor

Linnaeus, 1766

Biometrics

Size
: 17 cm
Wingspan
: -
Weight
: 17 à 25 g

Geographic range

Distribution

Identification

The male Cirl Bunting looks superficially similar to the Yellow Bunting. The confusion may come especially from females and juveniles. It is a bit smaller with a shorter tail. The nuptial male obviously stands out from behind due to its very chestnut-colored upper parts (coat, covers and tertiaries) and the absence of a vivid red in the rump which is olive gray. Seen from the front, the most striking thing is the pattern of the head and chest. The first is very contrasted with a succession of dark stripes (gray cap striped with black, black lore, blackish auricular covers and black throat) and two yellow stripes interposed framing the dark orbital band. A white spot is visible at the back of the parotic. The chest has a wide olive plastron topped with a yellow collar and framed by two large chestnut patches reaching up to the wrists. The belly is yellow and the flanks slightly striped. The beak is two-tone, black above and grayish blue below. The two outer pairs of rectrices have white, clearly visible only in flight or during grooming, in their internal vexil. The female looks like the male but less colored. It stands out quite easily from the female of the Yellow Bunting thanks to its chestnut covers, its gray-brown rump, the head and chest patterns identical to those of the male but less marked and less colored. The plumage is more striped and the throat is white. The juvenile is like a dull female. The chestnut of the wings remains remarkable. Compared to the young B. jaune, the head pattern is clear. The chest and flanks are more clearly and finely striped with brown. And of course, let's not forget that the two species have very different cries.

Subspecific information monotypic species

Foreign names

Bruant zizi,
Escribano soteño,
escrevedeira-de-garganta-preta,
Zaunammer,
sövénysármány,
Cirlgors,
Zigolo nero,
häcksparv,
Hekkspurv,
strnádka svrčivá,
strnad cvrčivý,
Gærdeværling,
pensassirkku,
gratapalles,
Álmtittlingur,
cierlik,
žogu stērste,
plotni strnad,
Огородная овсянка,
ノドグロアオジ,
黄道眉鹀,
häcksparv,
黃道眉鵐,

Voice song and cries

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The usual call is a sharp, penetrating siii. It is a contact call. When they are active and mobile, the cries are soft and sharp, tsit, sit, tit, titit, and variations of such. The song is a fast sequence of ringing notes that lasts for 2-3 seconds which can be described as a trill. The rhythm is consistent but, depending on the singer, the pitch of the notes varies. Some are dry and metallic while others can be described as liquid.

Habitat

The Cirl Bunting seeks out traditional, varied and low-pressure anthropogenic environments (agricultural plots with uncultivated margins, gardens, vineyards, meadows, etc.

that include structural woody plants, but not in too great a number (isolated, lined up or in small groves, shrubby areas, hedges, orchards, etc). It frequents forests only on their margins and provided the ecotone is suitable. Sun-loving, it opts for good exposures. In hilly regions, southward exposures are preferred, particularly in the North of its range where it is exclusively a bird of well-exposed slopes. Further South, for example in North Africa, it can be found up to 1500 m in altitude. It is not strictly anthropophilic, but it can be found in suburban areas, provided the habitat is surrounded by clearings. It is not uncommon to see a singing male on a power line or a TV antenna. During the winter, it can often be observed in stubble and harvested fields near large hedges and trees.

Behaviour character trait

The Cirl Bunting is quieter than its cousin the Yellow Bunting and, though it occasionally sings from the top of a tree, wire or television antenna, it usually stays hidden by the foliage and the observer must be content with its voice. Despite this apparent timidity, it willingly mixes with groups of finches and other seedeaters during the interseason in its search for food.

Flight

The flight is a typical flight of an Emberizid, direct and undulating. It is by habitat and call that it can be distinguished from other buntings, such as the Cirl Bunting.

Dietfeeding habits

The Cirl Bunting is mainly granivorous, especially seeking out seeds of poaceae and by extension cereals, on the ground. Many other seeds are also part of its diet. In the good season, couples look for their food together. Young birds are fed a range of insects, more nutritious than seeds. In winter, the birds feed with other granivores in fields and open areas, but never too far from their woody refuge.

Reproduction nesting

The Cirl Bunting is a resident bird whose breeding season extends from late March to August, longer of course in the south than in the north.

There are usually two nests in the spring, but a third can potentially take place in July- August. The nest is built at a low height (generally less than 1.5 meters) well hidden in a dense shrub, thorny or coniferous, or even in a climbing plant, for example a ivy. The male invites the female to start working by walking around with some blades of grass in its beak, but it is the female who takes care of the whole work. The nest is a rather coarse bunch of stems, dry grass and moss protecting a neat cup made of fibers, rootlets and hairs. The laying consists of 3 to 4 eggs (2 to 5) grayish stained with light brown and highlighted with black drawings. The female takes care of the incubation for 11 to 13 days. The young, fed by both adults, fly away at 14 days.

Geographic range

The Cirl Bunting is a sedentary southern species, inhabiting the countries bordering on the Mediterranean, except for the south-east and east where the habitats are too arid. It also occupies the Mediterranean islands. It is at the edge of its range in the north of France and there are few presence points in the Benelux and Germany. The same applies further east, but at lower latitudes due to the more continental climate. It is thus very rare in Austria, Hungary and Romania. It is present in the south of England and in Wales. It can be assumed that the current climate change could favour it at the north of its range.

Threats - protection

IUCN conservation status

Extinct

Threatened

Least
concern

Extinc
in the Wild

Near
threatened

Not
evaluated

EX EW CR EN VU NT LC NE

The Cirl Bunting is not threatened. It has seen highs and lows, but its population is currently estimated to be stable. Its presence is more fragile on the edges of its range, and localized disappearances are possible. The case of England is interesting. The species was once widespread in the south of the country and in Wales, but has since declined sharply and would have disappeared without the measures taken, primarily regarding habitat, which have gradually restored the population. The threats are known: it is the changes that affect its traditional semi-open habitat, either because of too much human pressure (loss of plant diversity, intensive land use, urbanization...) or, on the contrary, because of a lack of management that leads to the closure of the environment by the development of woody plants, which limits access to the ground.