Pallas’s Bunting

The First Record of Pallas’s Bunting (Emberiza pallasi) for British Columbia and Canada. By Rick Toochin. Published: December 23, 2023.

The Pallas’s Bunting (Emberiza pallasi) is a small species of passerine that is found breeding from northeastern European Russia eastwards to far eastern Siberia and the Chukchi Peninsula, Sea of Okhotsk coast, the northern Kamchatka Peninsula, and recently on Sakhalin Island (Byers et al. 1995, Robson 2000, Brazil 2009, Copete 2021, Hasebe and Senzaki 2022). This species breeds at high latitudes in tundra and forest-tundra with tall herbage, and shrubs (for song posts), and in river valleys in lowland tundra, with thickets of vegetation such as dwarf willow (Salix) or alder (Alnus); also found in subalpine tundra in high mountains (del Hoyo et al. 2011, Copete 2021). Pallas’s Buntings normally are found in drier and cooler areas than those favored by the Common Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) (Copete 2021). 

 

There are four recognized subspecies starting with the nominate (Emberiza pallasi pallasi) which is found breeding in the Altai and Sayan Mountains east to Transbaikalia and west to Amurland (south of the Tukuringra Mountains) and south to northern Mongolia and possibly northeastern China (Inner Mongolia, Northern Heilongjiang), perhaps also with disjunct populations into eastern Tien Shan with birds wintering in western and northern China (Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia) (Copete 2021, Clements et al. 2023); the second subspecies (Emberiza pallasi polaris) is found breeding from northeastern European Russia east into Siberia (south into the basins of the River Angara, River Lena and River Aldan) to Chukchi Peninsula, Sea of Okhotsk coast and northern Kamchatka with birds wintering in northeast and eastern China (central Heilongjiang S to Yangtze Valley), extreme southeastern Russia (southern Ussuriland), Korea, and is very rare winter visitor in southern Japan (Brazil 2009, Copete 2021, Clements et al. 2023); the third subspecies (Emberiza pallasi minor) is found breeding in Transbaikalia eastward to the Russian Far East and northeastern China (Heilongjiang) with birds wintering in eastern China (Copete 2021, Clements et al. 2023); and the fourth subspecies (Emberiza pallasi lydiae)is found breeding from southern Siberia (Tuva and southern Transbaikalia) through north, central and eastern Mongolia, probably to adjacent northeastern China (northeastern Inner Mongolia) with birds probably wintering in northern China (Copete 2021, Clements et al. 2023).

 

The Pallas’s Bunting is a migratory species (Cramp and Perrins 1994, Brazil 2009). Post-breeding dispersal begins during late July, and departure from breeding grounds normally starts during August and continues through September (del Hoyo et al. 2011). In central Siberia recorded mostly from early August to the end September, passing in loose flocks of 5–10 individuals, with sometimes high concentrations and densities of several hundred birds/km² during the September peak; the main passage in southern Siberia is from mid-September to the end of October, and the main passage in northeastern China is throughout the month of October (del Hoyo et al. 2011). Wintering areas are occupied between October and March, with some individuals still present in these areas sometimes until May (del Hoyo et al. 2011, Copete 2021). The main spring passage through northeastern China and southern Siberia occurs during the second half of April; in central Siberia bird move through mostly during the month of May into early June, exceptionally to the end June; with birds arriving in northern parts of the breeding range during the month of June (del Hoyo et al. 2011, Copete 2021). 

 

Outside the breeding season this species is found in lowlands and plains, selecting irrigated areas with scattered shrubs and presence of reeds near rivers and lakes; also in grassy fields, rice fields and other cultivation (Cramp and Perrins 1994, Copete 2021).  This species winters in northeastern and eastern China, into extreme southeastern Russia in the southern portion of Ussuriland, and throughout Korea (Robson 2000, Brazil 2009).

 

The Pallas’s Bunting has been recorded as a vagrant in Asia in Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Hong Kong, Taiwan and is a very rare winter visitor to southern Japan (Colston 1978, Brazil 2009, Copete 2021). This species has also been recorded as an accidental migrant vagrant in Europe in Britain, Portugal, and Italy (Broad and Oddie 1980, Lewington et al. 1991, Hough 1998, Moore and Armelin 1999). In North America, the Pallas’s Bunting is an extremely rare vagrant in Alaska where the majority of the records have come from the fall from early to mid September on Bering Sea Islands with 4 records since 2006 on St. Lawrence Island and single spring records from late May into June from in the Western Aleutian Islands, St. Lawrence Island, and the northern Mainland (Gibson and Byrd 2007, West 2008, Howell et al. 2014). Based on a single skin specimen record (Pitelka 1974), it is likely that most records from Alaska pertain to the subspecies (E. p. polaris) (Gibson and Byrd 2007, Gibson and Withrow 2015). There are recent records confirmed by photographs for the south coast of British Columbia (Toochin and Cecile 2023). The Pallas’s Bunting has not been recorded further south than British Columbia along the west coast of North America (Wahl et al. 2005, Hamilton et al. 2007, OBRC 2020, Tietz and McCaskie 2020, WBRC 2023). 

The identification of the Pallas’s Bunting is covered in most North American field guides. The following descriptions of age and identification is taken from Lewington et al. (1991), Alström and Olsson (1994), Ouwerkerk (1994), Brazil (2009), Mullarney et al. (2009), Dunn and Alderfer (2017), Copete (2021). This is a small bunting species measuring 12–13.5 cm in length; and weighing 10–20 grams. The bill is comparatively short and narrow with a straight culmen.  Adult male breeding plumaged birds of the nominate subspecies (E. p. pallasi) have a black head and throat, conspicuous white sub-moustachial stripe and a hindneck-collar joining on the side of neck; feathers of the mantle and the scapulars are blackish, with some chestnut, especially towards the feather tip, all fringed pale buff (bleaching to whitish), back pale buffish-grey with blackish streaks, rump and uppertail-coverts pale buffish (wearing to greyish-white), coverts with faint black streaks; tail brown, central feather pair darker and broadly edged pale on inner webs outermost pair with much white on both webs, adjacent pair with less white (variable); lesser upperwing-coverts grey, median and greater coverts black with white or whitish tips (forming two clear wingbars), greater coverts also with pale edges, flight-feathers blackish, tertials with well-defined narrow pale yellowish edges, primaries and secondaries with narrow pale edges, these have more light rufous-buff on the secondaries (creating buffish pale panel on closed wing); underparts pale buffish-white, side of the breast washed grey, few streaks on the flanks; iris dark chestnut; bill blackish; legs pale pinkish. Distinguished from similar Common Reed Bunting (E. schoeniclus) mainly by smaller size, smaller bill with straight culmen, proportionately longer tail, generally colder plumage tones, more prominently streaked upperparts, grey (not rufous) lesser coverts, distinct pale wingbars (lacking reddish tones). 

 

The male in winter plumage has black areas of plumage partly concealed by pale feather fringes, crown, ear-coverts and lores mostly sandy brown (instead of black) with dark streaks, superciliary area buffish, thin dark moustachial stripe, throat mottled black; upperparts brighter and more sandy-coloured, mantle with hint of rufous, wing feathers more broadly edged and tipped buffish (lesser coverts still grey), underparts strongly tinged yellowish-buff; lower mandible pinkish. First-winter male is like male in winter plumage, but the lesser coverts are grey-brown (not ash-greyish), iris dark grey-brown. 

 

Female in breeding plumage is very similar to the first-winter male, including grey-brown lesser upperwing-coverts and pinkish on the lower mandible, but differs in having indistinct reddish-brown streaks on the rump, iris dark chestnut, as on the breeding plumaged male. Females in winter plumage are very similar looking to winter males, but the lesser upperwing-coverts are grey-brown. First-winter female is almost identical to the winter plumaged female, differing only in more pointed rectrices and dark grey-brown iris. 

 

Juvenile is reminiscent of breeding plumaged female but has a dark-streaked olive-brown crown, paler supercilium, rufescent ear-coverts, blackish scapulars with buffish edges, pale sandy-brown rump with prominent brown streaks, grey-brown lesser coverts, usually prominent dark malar stripe, yellowish breast with bold, dense dark streaks, and dark grey-brown iris. 

 

Subspecies differ mainly in darkness of plumage: (E. p. polaris) is on average slightly smaller and more heavily streaked than the nominate, and in winter plumage is somewhat darker on back, especially in eastern part of range; (E. p. lydiae) is paler above than nominate in breeding plumage, with upperwing-coverts and centres of back feathers brownish (instead of black) and edges pale buff.

 

The Song, is normally given from a bush top, also from top of tall grasses or herbs, is a simple monotonous phrase containing series of same notes “chi chi chi chi chi chi” or “srri srri srri srri srri srri srri”; song of (E. p. lydiae) similar in structure, but differing slightly in motif, “tsisi tsisi tsisi tsisi”; song of nominate apparently a little different, said to be not unlike a clear song phrase of Willow Tit (Poecile montanus) or Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola). The normal call a fine “chlip” or “tsilip”, reminiscent of that of Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus); also, a soft “dziuu” recorded from southern birds breeding in the steppe.

The Pallas’s Bunting is an accidental migrant vagrant species in British Columbia and was only recently added to the avifauna list of provincial birds in the fall of 2023. The first record was an immature bird that was found and photographed by Paul Jacques at the Squamish Estuary on September 23, 2023 (Toochin and Cecile 2003). Photographs can be looked at on the BC Bird Alert Blog here https://bcbirdalert.blogspot.com/2023/09/rba-probable-reed-bunting-in-squamish.html. The second record which may well involve the same bird as previously mentioned was an immature bird found and photographed by Les Petersen and seen by Val George at Clover Point in Victoria on October 4, 2023 (Toochin and Cecile 2003.)  It is very likely that this is the same bird that was found in the Squamish Estuary area (D. Cecile Pers. Comm.). The first sighting had photographs, but it was hard to see all the field marks however experts looked at them to help clarify identification (D. Cecile Pers. Comm.). One such expert is Attila Steiner who is Hungarian and lives in Hungary, but he has been a professional bird guide for the past 17 years for Ecotours Wildlife Holidays (https://ecotourswildlife.co.uk/). One of their signature destinations is Mongolia, and Attila has been tour guide leader to Mongolia about 10 times, where both Reed and Pallas’s Buntings are common. His comments are as follows “Both the Squamish and the Victoria bird look good for Pallas’s Bunting. Other than the colour of the secondary coverts, the things to look for is the bill and the rump. Pallas’s Bunting always has the two-toned bill with the lower mandible paler than the upper mandible. Also, the rump for the Pallas’s is much paler than the Reed Bunting. Field guides show that the Pallas’s Bunting has much fewer streaks on the breast compared to Reed Bunting, but this is not really a reliable indicator as the streaks on the breast can vary with either species. The Pallas’s Bunting is a smaller and daintier build with a smaller bill. A different jizz. Unless you have a side-by-side comparison, though, this may not be much use for people unfamiliar with either species." 

 

Given how rare this species is in Alaska, it may take some time for another bird to show up. Logical locations where this species could turn up would be Haida Gwaii, the North Coast, anywhere on Vancouver Island, and possibly somewhere in the coastal areas of the Lower Mainland.

I want to thank Don Cecile for tracking down information on the Pallas’s Bunting sightings and editing the original manuscript. I wish to thank Les Peterson for allowing me to use his pictures of the Pallas’s Bunting from Victoria for this article. I also want to thank Daniel Bastaja for helping me track down information on Pallas’s Bunting and getting me in touch with expert Attila Steiner. Of course, I want to give a big thanks to Attila Stiener for his valued comments and identification expertise on Pallas’s Bunting identification. If you want to go on one his tours please reach out to Ecotours Wildlife Holidays (https://ecotourswildlife.co.uk/. All photos are used with permission of the photographer and are fully protected by copyright law. These images are not to republished, retransmitted, or used in any manner without the expressed written permission of the photographer. 

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