Scientific name: Emberiza aureola Pallas, 1773
Bird group: Buntings
Field characters. 14 cm. Rather small bunting. Both sexes have chestnut-streaked flanks and dark tail with little white on outer tail feathers. Male has bright yellow underparts with brown breast band, black face, chestnut crown and upperparts and finch-like wing pattern, with one broad and one narrow white wing bar. Female has distinct head pattern, with broad cream supercilium and crown stripe, dark eye-stripe and moustachial stripe, dark line around ear-coverts and light spot on ear-coverts. Upperparts streaked, two faint wing bars. Breast and belly unstreaked yellow. Juvenile resembles female, but has streaked breast.
Voice. Call 'tik' and 'tsrit'. Song simple, resembles Ortolan Bunting.
Distribution. Rather common summer visitor in limited area.
Habitat. Usually in moist areas with willow, birch and alder, and moist and well-vegetated fields.
Food. Seeds and insects, found low in vegetation or on the ground.