Crested Bunting
Photo: Tisha Mukherjee · CC BY-SA 4.0

Old World Buntings

Crested Bunting

Emberiza lathami

LCLeast Concern
Family
Old World Buntings (Emberizidae)
Order
Passeriformes

Overview

The crested bunting (Emberiza lathami) is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae. It is sparrow sized with males having rufous wings and tail on a black body and females being less contrastingly coloured in dull brown. Both males and females have the distinctive crest. The species was formerly placed in an monotypic genus Melophus on account of its crest, unique among the buntings.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Northern Pakistan to southeastern Tibet, southern China, Laos, and northern Vietnam (Tonkin).

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.