CreatureData

Grey bunting

Emberiza variabilis Temminck, 1836

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The grey bunting (Emberiza variabilis) is a species in the family Emberizidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 23.8 g to 25 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Grey bunting (Emberiza variabilis)
Photo: Alpsdake · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the grey bunting

Weight
23.8 g – 25 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
3.9src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the grey bunting live?

Not recorded

What is the grey bunting?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The grey bunting (Schoeniclus variabilis) is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae. It breeds in southern Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Kuril Islands and northern Japan, it migrates to southern Japan and the Ryukyu Islands. Its natural habitats are boreal and temperate forest.

This species was formerly placed in the genus Emberiza. In 2026 it was moved to the resurrected genus Schoeniclus based on the results of a 2021 molecular genetic study. Within the genus the grey bunting is most closely related to Tristram's bunting (Schoeniclus tristrami).

Two subspecies are recognised:

S. v. variabilis (Temminck, 1836) – breeds Sakhalin and Kuril Islands southward to Shikoku (central Japan); winters to southern Japan

S. v. musicus (Kittlitz, 1858) – breeds central and southern Kamchatka Peninsula; winters Japan

From the Wikipedia article “Grey bunting” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grey_bunting&oldid=1381769933), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the grey bunting endangered?

The grey bunting is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the grey bunting classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyEmberizidae
  6. genusEmberiza
  7. SpeciesEmberiza variabilis Temminck, 1836

Synonyms Ocyris variabilis, Schoeniclus variabilis, Tisa variabilis, Tisa variabilis kurodai

Other names and names in other languages (35)
  • Gray buntingEnglish
  • Камчатска овесаркаBulgarian
  • sit grisCatalan
  • Симсӹ алык оравиMari
  • strnad lesníCzech
  • bras llwyd JapanWelsh
  • GråværlingDanish
  • BambusammerGerman
  • Bambus-AmmerGerman
  • griza emberizoEsperanto
  • Escribano grisSpanish
  • ohhoota tsiitsitajaEstonian
  • ohotansirkkuFinnish
  • Bruant grisFrench
  • bambusz sármányHungarian
  • Zigolo grigioItalian
  • クロジJapanese
  • 검은멧새Korean
  • japoninė pilkoji startaLithuanian
  • pelēkā stērsteLatvian
  • BamboegorsDutch
  • Japanse Grijze GorsDutch
  • sotspurvNorwegian
  • trznadel szaryPolish
  • trznadel srebrnogłowyPolish
  • escrevedeira-dos-bambusPortuguese
  • escrevedeira-cinza-japonesaPortuguese
  • Сизая овсянкаRussian
  • strnádka siváSlovak
  • Siva strnadicaSerbian
  • blågrå sparvSwedish
  • Gri ÇinteTurkish
  • вівсянка сизаUkrainian
  • 灰鵐Chinese
  • 灰鹀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the grey bunting

Other species in the same genus Emberiza.

CompareGrey bunting vs YellowhammerGrey bunting vs Common reed buntingGrey bunting vs Corn buntingGrey bunting vs Ortolan bunting

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the grey bunting?

An adult grey bunting weighs 23.8 g – 25 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the grey bunting endangered?

The grey bunting is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the grey bunting?

The grey bunting (Emberiza variabilis) belongs to the family Emberizidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Grey bunting (Emberiza variabilis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/grey-bunting

MLA

“Grey bunting (Emberiza variabilis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/grey-bunting.

BibTeX
@misc{grey_bunting_2026,
  title = {Grey bunting (Emberiza variabilis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/grey-bunting},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}