Pallas's Reed Bunting

Emberiza pallasi (Cabanis, 1851)

		male female juvenile
2017-07-20 VKO Katon-Karagay 2017-07-20 VKO Katon-Karagay2017-07-20 VKO Katon-Karagay	© Vladimir Vorobyov © Vladimir Vorobyov© Vladimir Vorobyov

Distribution

Breeding on Ukok plateau in sources of Bukhtarma river in Altai, where common enough, and on Yuzhno-Altaiskiy ridge in Kara-Kaba river sources. Occasionally occurs on migration in Zaysan depression, in Karaganda area (not collected), near Atyrau and Tashkent.

Biology

Common breeding migrant. Inhabits the alpine cotton-grass tundra with the dwarf willow bushes on marshy parts, and with dwarf birch thickets on hills at altitudes 2100-2600 m. The spring arrival is not known. Breeds in separate pairs at distance 30-50 m one from another. Nest is built from the dry grass in the birch bushes at height 15-25 cm above the ground. Clutch of 5 eggs is laid probably in early June, because in July 18-19, 1990 in two nests recorded the close to fledge juveniles, and in third one the slightly incubated eggs were found. In autumn migrates in October.

Subspecies

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург. Издательство Уральского университета, 2000.