An extraordinary and wonderful news comes today (October 23, 2024) from the Ornithological Station of Orikum, where the group of Hungarian ringers caught and ringed the Black-faced bunting (Emberiza spodocephala), a species recorded for the first time in Albania.
The Black-faced bunting (Emberiza spodocephala) is widespread across Asia, breeding in dense scrub and moist deciduous forests in southern Siberia and northern China. In winter, individuals of this species move further south towards eastern and southern China, Taiwan, northern Indochina and even Nepal, where they are often found in open habitats. From this, we can see that to reach Albania, this small bird, weighing approximately 16 grams and measuring just 16 centimeters in length, had to cover a distance of roughly 5,300 to 8,500 kilometers.
Vagrant observations of the species have also been recorded in Europe, in countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden etc. Due to its geographical distribution, this observation of the Black-faced bunting at the Ornithological Station of Orikum is considered as extraordinary.
The Black-faced bunting, in comparison to other bunting species, is characterized by an ash-colored head and chest, from which it gets its name. This feature is quite obvious in males during the breeding period. In other periods, they closely resemble other bunting species.
The ringed individual at the Ornithological Station of Orikum was identified by the Hungarian ringer Péter Bánhidi . We congratulate Doctor Peter for this remarkable finding and express our gratitude to the entire team of Hungarian ringers who have been collaborating with AOS since 2015!
