Masked bunting
Emberiza personata Temminck, 1836
The masked bunting (Emberiza personata) is a species in the family Emberizidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh about 18.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the masked bunting
- Weight
- 18.5 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- 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 masked bunting live?
Not recorded
What is the masked bunting?
The masked bunting (Schoeniclus personatus) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It is found in Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, and Japan.
The masked bunting was formerly considered as a subspecies of the black-faced bunting (Schoeniclus spodocephalus) but is now treated as a separate species based on morphological and genetic differences. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
This species was formerly placed in the genus Emberiza but in 2026 it was moved to the resurrected genus Schoeniclus. This was based on the results of a 2021 molecular genetic study that included the black-faced bunting but not the masked bunting.
From the Wikipedia article “Masked bunting” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Masked_bunting&oldid=1381794329), 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 masked bunting endangered?
The masked bunting is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the masked bunting classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyEmberizidae
- genusEmberiza
- SpeciesEmberiza personata Temminck, 1836
Synonyms Chrysophrys spodocephala personata, Emberiza spodocephala personata, Ocyris spodocephalus personatus, Schoeniclus spodocephala personatus
Other names and names in other languages (28)
- Sit emmascaratCatalan
- MaskeværlingDanish
- Japansk Sorthovedet VærlingDanish
- StrohammerGerman
- Japanische MaskenammerGerman
- maska emberizoEsperanto
- Escribano enmascaradoSpanish
- escribano enmascarado japonésSpanish
- NokinaamasirkkuFinnish
- Bruant de TemminckFrench
- גיבתון שחור-פנים (מזרחי)Hebrew
- žutoprsa strnadicaCroatian
- アオジJapanese
- 섬촉새Korean
- 일본촉새Korean
- Japanse MaskergorsDutch
- svartmaskespurvNorwegian
- trznadel kreskowanyPolish
- escrevedeira-mascaradaPortuguese
- escrevedeira-de-mascarilhaPortuguese
- Escrevedeira-mascarada-japonesaPortuguese
- Маскированная овсянкаRussian
- strnádka maskováSlovak
- маскирана стрнадицаSerbian
- ainusparvSwedish
- вівсянка масковаUkrainian
- 日本灰头鹀Chinese
- 黃喉黑臉鵐Chinese
Relatives of the masked bunting
Other species in the same genus Emberiza.
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinella
Common reed bunting
Emberiza schoeniclus
Corn bunting
Emberiza calandra
Ortolan bunting
Emberiza hortulana
Black-headed bunting
Emberiza melanocephala
Yellow-breasted bunting
Emberiza aureola
CompareMasked bunting vs YellowhammerMasked bunting vs Common reed buntingMasked bunting vs Corn buntingMasked bunting vs Ortolan bunting
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the masked bunting?
An adult masked bunting weighs 18.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the masked bunting endangered?
The masked 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 masked bunting?
The masked bunting (Emberiza personata) 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.
- AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · 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 · 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 · 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 · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · 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).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Masked bunting (Emberiza personata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/masked-bunting
“Masked bunting (Emberiza personata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/masked-bunting.
@misc{masked_bunting_2026,
title = {Masked bunting (Emberiza personata)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/masked-bunting},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}