Cretzschmar's Bunting

Grauortolan (Emberiza caesia )

The Grauortolan, the rust or Ammer, (Emberiza caesia ) is a bird in the bunting family ( Emberizidae ).

Description

The Grauortolan strongly resembles the Ortolan (Emberiza hortulana ). However, he has a distinctive bright blue-gray head. The throat and the beard Streif are cinnamon brown ( not yellow like the Ortolan ), the beak is reddish- pink. The female is duller and more streaked than the male (as well as Ortolan ) and can be distinguished from females by the Ortolan - cinnamon brown throat and beard lining. The Grauortolan - young birds are very difficult to distinguish from Ortolan - young birds of the young birds of the rock bunting you can tell them apart more than the reddish beak. In autumn, the vibrant colors in males and females are partially obscured. With a length of 16 cm and a weight of about 20 g of Grauortolan is about the size of a house sparrow.

Habitat

The Grauortolan loves rocky slopes with scattered bushes and trees and semi-deserts. He is a bird of passage, in south-eastern Europe, he is a summer guest. It breeds in Greece, in the mediterranean areas close to Turkey and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean coastal strip in the Middle East. He wintered in Sudan in Africa. He rarely is seen also in the Mediterranean region of Western Europe, sometimes even individual animals lost up to Helgoland.

Singing and food

The Grauortolan feeds, according Ammernart, on seeds and insects to feed the young. His reputation is a consistent " stjip ". The song is similar to the ortolan, but is shorter, about how " dü - dü - dü - DÜI ".

Brood

The nest is built on the ground between stones, often in dense vegetation. It consists of stalks, stems and roots and is upholstered with hair. The female lays 4-6 off-white to grayish or blackish eggs, which are about 19 ​​mm long. Hatched twice a year. The incubation period is about 12-13 days.

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