Yellow-breasted Bunting
Emberiza aureola
A bright bunting with males showing vivid yellow underparts and a chestnut-brown back. It breeds across northern Europe and Asia but is now very rare due to population declines. In the Channel Islands, it’s only been recorded on a handful of occasions, typically in autumn when off-course migrants appear.
- Habitat: In its normal range, open fields and wetlands; here, it might turn up in coastal grass or scrub.
- When to See: Extremely rare vagrant, most likely in autumn migration.
- Diet / Food: Seeds, small insects, and other tiny invertebrates.
- Length: 14–15 cm