The status of Red-headed Bunting in Britain Keith E. Vinicombe Ren Hathway ed-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps tion as genuine vagrants to northwest Europe, breeds in the steppe and semi-desert as spring overshoots, reversed migrants in Rregions of Central Asia, from the autumn or as irruptive vagrants, for example northern and southern ends of the Caspian Sea Macqueen’s Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii, east through Kazakhstan to the Altai Mountains Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus, White- and into the western part of the Xinjiang Uygur winged Melanocorypha leucoptera and Black Autonomous Region, China. To the south, the Larks M. yeltoniensis, Pied Oenanthe pleschanka breeding range extends into eastern Iran, and Desert Wheatears Oe. deserti,Sykes’s Afghanistan and northern Pakistan (BWP). In Warbler Hippolais rama, Asian Desert Warbler autumn, it migrates south or southeast to Sylvia nana, Isabelline Lanius isabellinus and winter in west-central India. Given its popu- Long-tailed Shrikes L. schach and the Central larity as a cagebird in western Europe during Asian form of Southern Grey Shrike L. merid- the mid/late twentieth century, its status as a ionalis pallidirostris. In addition, three more- British bird has long been the subject of contro- widespread species, which have a similar versy and this paper attempts to summarise the southeasterly orientation to their migration current position. from eastern Europe to the Indian subconti- nent, are regular visitors to these shores, some- A potential vagrant? times in significant numbers: Red-breasted Is Red-headed Bunting a likely vagrant to Flycatcher Ficedula parva, Rose-coloured Britain? A number of sympatric species from Starling Sturnus roseus and, most relevant Central Asia, some of which have a similar to this discussion, Black-headed Bunting migration regime, are accepted without ques- E. melanocephala. 540 © British Birds 100 • September 2007 • 540–551 The status of Red-headed Bunting in Britain Given that Red-headed Bunting is a long- there was no marked upsurge in records of distance migrant with a distinct north or north- Black-headed Bunting during the 1950s, 1960s west orientation to its spring migration, and and 1970s (see below); the species maintained a south or southeasterly orientation in autumn, it fairly steady pattern of occurrence, averaging should be regarded as a likely vagrant to Britain; about three records a year, though increasing in fact, it would be astonishing if it had never during the 1990s. Fig. 1b suggests that, latterly, occurred here. A comparison of its occurrence there may have been a seven-to-ten year cyclical patterns with those of Rose-coloured Starling occurrence pattern. Some records have clearly and Black-headed Bunting, both of which are involved escapes from captivity but, despite the particularly prone to overshooting in spring, is occasional ‘suspect’ individual, records of this relevant. species are generally accepted as wild birds. Like Rose-coloured Starling, Black-headed Rose-coloured Starling Bunting is predominantly a spring overshoot, Until the 1960s, British records of this species with most records in late May and early June were also treated with suspicion, many birds (figs. 2 & 3), and a smaller peak in numbers being considered likely escapes from captivity. from late August to mid October, which is con- In more recent times, such doubts have evap- sistent with the concept of reverse migration by orated and it is now regarded as a regular late- first-winters in autumn. Of all records from spring overshoot (partly irruptive), with most 21st August to 14th October (the first and last occurring in late May and June, and many dates for the arrival of presumed first-winter remaining during July and August. There is a birds), 53% were variously described as ‘female’, second wave of arrivals from late August to ‘juvenile’, ‘first-winter’ or ‘female/first-winter’, October, consisting mainly of reversed-migrant compared with the overall percentage of juveniles, a few of which overwinter (Dymond females or first-winters of just 11%. et al. 1989). 25 Black-headed Bunting (a) The first British record 20 was a female obtained at Brighton, East Sussex, on 15 3rd November 1868, but the dates of both this and the third record, at Dun- 10 fermline, Fife, on 5th November 1886, do not 5 match current occur- rence patterns. Taking 0 the Hastings Rarities 30 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62 66 70 74 78 82 86 90 94 98 02 affair into consideration, the second British record, 25 one caught at Radcliff- (b) on-Trent, Nottingham- 20 shire, in July 1884 (or possibly the fourth for Britain, on Fair Isle, Shet- 15 land, on 21st September 1907), might be a better 10 candidate as a first for Britain. There were three 5 further records before 1950 and there have been 0 more than 170 since (fig. 30 34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62 66 70 74 78 82 86 90 94 98 02 1b). Unlike the case with Fig. 1. Annual totals of Red-headed Emberiza bruniceps (a) and Black-headed Red-headed Bunting, Buntings E. melanocephala (b) in Britain, 1930–2005. British Birds 100 • September 2007 • 540–551 541 The status of Red-headed Bunting in Britain If wild Red-headed Buntings do occur in with additional records from Evans (1994) and Britain, it would seem reasonable to assume other sources. Male Red-headed Buntings are that their arrival patterns would be similar to distinctive and easily identified so the quality of those of Rose-coloured Starling and Black- the data is considered to be high, although headed Bunting, i.e. with a variable late some of the records have not been properly spring/early summer peak, relating principally assessed (conversely, some Red-headed to overshooting males, and a smaller secondary Buntings were never reported, particularly in peak of first-winters in autumn. Black-headed their ‘heyday’ in the 1960s and 1970s, when Bunting breeds much closer to Britain than many, particularly those seen inland, were Red-headed, from the Middle East into Asia simply dismissed as escapes). Minor, around much of the Black Sea and into the Balkans, former Yugoslavia and Italy. Its Pre-1960 range is to the south and west of that of Red- The first British Red-headed Bunting was a headed Bunting and one might predict that, on male on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, on 19th June average, Red-headed Buntings should turn up a 1931. A gap of 19 years followed before the next little later and slightly farther north than Black- records, in 1950: in Lerwick, Shetland, on 8th headed in spring. June, and on Fair Isle on 19th–22nd September (both males). During the 1950s, however, the Occurrence patterns of Red-headed Bunting species became an annual visitor, averaging Red-headed Bunting was last dealt with by almost four records per year (fig. 1a). This BBRC in 1961 (Brit. Birds 55: 582–583), so the abrupt and striking increase was due partly to data used as the basis for the following analysis the establishment of the coastal bird observa- were obtained mainly from county bird reports, tory network, which was responsible for 22 of the 36 records during that 80 decade. Records were fairly (a) 70 evenly distributed from May to September (31), with a dip in 60 July. However, there were also 50 records from March, April (two) and October, plus one undated. 40 In the early 1950s, the possibility 30 that some or all of these birds could be escapes from captivity 20 was raised, highlighted by a con- 10 signment that escaped in London in March 1951, which was subse- 0 JFMAMJJASOND quently responsible for several records in the London area and 20 south to Brighton (Ferguson- (b) 18 Lees 1967). This was followed by 16 an unusually early record of a male at Tonbridge, Kent, on 13th 14 March 1953, but it was assumed 12 that sightings from remote Scot- 10 tish islands such as Fair Isle were 8 untainted by the escape problem. 6 4 The 1960s Seven records in 1960 preceded a 2 record total of 16 in 1961. 0 JFMAMJJASOND Further ‘big years’ followed in the 1960s, with new record totals in Fig. 2. Monthly discovery dates of Red-headed Emberiza bruniceps (a) both 1966 (17) and 1967 (19); and Black-headed Buntings E. melanocephala (b) in Britain, 1950–82. Note that the scale used for the y-axis differs in the two graphs. these included a multiple arrival 542 British Birds 100 • September 2007 • 540–551 The status of Red-headed Bunting in Britain of up to two males and two females on scarred-over injury at the base of the culmen Skokholm, Pembrokeshire, from 1st June to and on the front of the forehead, compatible 16th July 1967. There were 122 records in total with the bird attempting to escape through wire during the decade (fig. 1). The debate over their (Brit. Birds 61: 43). In the field, the bird had origins continued in the pages of British Birds been reported as being relatively tame. A captive and, in an editorial reply to a letter from P. G. R. origin was supported by White (1967), who Barbier (1967), I. J. Ferguson-Lees outlined the stated that during the 1930s he had frequently position at that time. Large numbers of Red- seen Red-headed Buntings for sale in the headed Buntings were being imported annually London area, where he considered that he must into Britain from India, with males outnum- have seen several hundred in total, mostly bering females by about five to one because males. In fact, the species had been kept at their brightly coloured plumage was more London Zoo since 1865 (Hudson 1967), and attractive to bird-trappers.