Jankowski's bunting or rufous-backed bunting is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae.
Region
Northeast Asia
Typical Environment
The species is patchily distributed in northeastern China, notably in Jilin, Liaoning, and eastern Inner Mongolia, with historical or occasional records nearby. It favors temperate steppe and fallow agricultural mosaics where scattered shrubs are interspersed with grasses. During the non-breeding season it uses open fields, weedy margins, and low shrublands, sometimes moving to milder lowlands. It typically keeps close to cover, using shrubs for song perches and nesting while foraging on the ground.
Altitude Range
0–800 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the rufous-backed bunting, it is named after the Polish-Russian naturalist M.A. Jankowski. It breeds in sparse shrub–grass steppe and is threatened by habitat conversion, overgrazing, shrub removal, and trapping. Targeted habitat management that retains native shrubs can rapidly improve local breeding success.
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with bounding arcs
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season it forms small flocks that keep close to low cover. Pairs establish small territories in spring, with males singing from shrub tops or low perches. The nest is a cup placed on or near the ground in dense grass or within a small shrub, and the clutch is typically 3–5 eggs.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
The male delivers a clear, tinkling series of short notes and trills from an exposed perch. Calls include sharp tsip or tick notes, often given in flight or when alarmed.
