Cabanis's bunting is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae.
Region
East Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs in dry savanna, Acacia–Commiphora scrub, bushy hillsides, and edges of open woodland, including lightly cultivated land with hedgerows and thickets. It favors areas with scattered shrubs or rocks that provide song perches and cover. Often found along drainage lines, dry riverbeds, and stony slopes with sparse grass. It tolerates some human-modified habitats as long as dense low cover remains. Local densities can be patchy, depending on shrub structure and recent rainfall.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Cabanis's bunting is a small African bunting named after the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis. It inhabits dry scrub and open woodland, often keeping low and skulking in thorny bushes. Like many buntings, it switches from a mainly seed-based diet to more insects during the breeding season. Some authorities have placed it in the genus Fringillaria based on African bunting relationships.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides at low height
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs during the breeding season, becoming loosely gregarious in small flocks afterward. Pairs hold small territories with song delivered from a low bush or rock. The nest is a small cup placed low in dense shrubbery or grass clumps, with clutches usually of 2–3 eggs. Likely monogamous within a season.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A thin, tinkling series of high-pitched notes, often delivered from a low perch and repeated at intervals. Calls include a sharp metallic 'tik' and soft contact notes when moving through cover.
Plumage
Streaked brown upperparts with warm rufous tones on the mantle and wings, contrasting with paler buff underparts that may show fine breast streaking. The head shows a bunting-like pattern with a pale supercilium, darker eye-stripe and malar, and a greyer crown. Tail often shows white outer edges visible in flight. Overall appearance is a subtly patterned, earthy-toned bunting suited to scrubby habitats.
Diet
Primarily eats grass and weed seeds picked from the ground or low plants. During the breeding season it takes more insects such as beetles, termites, and caterpillars for added protein. It also consumes small buds and occasionally fallen grain near cultivation. Foraging is usually deliberate, with short hops and pauses to scan.
Preferred Environment
Feeds on open ground near dense shrubs, along paths, dry streambeds, and field margins. Often forages under thorn scrub and at the edges of thickets where seed fall is concentrated. Uses nearby rocks or low bushes as lookout perches between feeding bouts.
