# Black-headed bunting (*Emberiza melanocephala*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-bunting  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The black-headed bunting (Emberiza melanocephala) is a bird in the family Emberizidae and order Passeriformes, part of the songbirds and other perching birds subgroup. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 28.31 g, with values from 27 g to 29.7 g reported by our sources, and it has an omnivore diet. This migratory species lives in shrubland, has a geographic range of 2,122,000 km², and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category. Its clutches hold 3.9 eggs, with 1 clutch per year and an incubation period of 14 days, and its lifespan is 10.5 years, with up to 11 years reported.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 27 g – 29.7 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 10.5 years |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 11 years |
| Main food | seeds |
| Habitat | shrubland |
| Egg incubation | 14 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.9 |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Generalist |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Passeriformes
- family: Emberizidae
- genus: Emberiza
- species: *Emberiza melanocephala* Scopoli, 1769

Synonyms: *Euspiza melanocephala*, *Granativora melanocephala*, *Melophus melanocephalus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the black-headed bunting?

The black-headed bunting is a bird in the family Emberizidae, order Passeriformes, within the songbirds and other perching birds subgroup.

### How much does a black-headed bunting weigh?

An adult Black-headed bunting weighs 28.31 g, with values from 27 g to 29.7 g reported by our sources.

### What does the black-headed bunting eat?

The black-headed bunting is an omnivore.

### What habitat does the black-headed bunting live in?

The black-headed bunting lives in shrubland.

### Is the black-headed bunting migratory?

Yes, the black-headed bunting is migratory.

### Is the black-headed bunting endangered?

No, the black-headed bunting is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How many eggs does the black-headed bunting lay?

The black-headed bunting lays 3.9 eggs per clutch, with 1 clutch per year and an incubation period of 14 days.

### Who named the black-headed bunting?

The black-headed bunting, Emberiza melanocephala, was named by Scopoli, 1769.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Black-headed bunting (Emberiza melanocephala). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-bunting