24

House Bunting

(Emberiza striolata)
Size: 14 cm

Sightings

A flock of about 10-12 House Buntings was first spotted by us in a dry riverbed (waadi) on the campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, in January 2010.

Photos

Partially obscured near-frontal view of a male House Bunting

Lateral view of a male House Bunting

Lateral view of a female House Bunting

Here a female bird on sentry duty in an acacia tree

Male (back) and female (front) House Bunting on a rock

He decides to stick it out, while she thinks it is safer to move on

Food

Like all finches, House Buntings are seed-eaters.

These pages are largely based on our own observations. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.