Black-headed Bunting (Emberiza melanocephala)Where and when to see it in the UK
Status not yet classified · reporting peaks June · Old World Buntings · BOU category AE
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
Black-headed Bunting has been recorded in 18 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (1%) in records to 2026. Its strongest squares are in Scotland, Wales and England. Reporting peaks in June.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 100% or more of visits
- High
- 100% to 100%
- Moderate
- <1% to 100%
- Low
- under <1%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| February | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| March | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| April | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| May | 24% | <1% | Very high |
| June | 100% | <1% | Very high |
| July | 0% | <1% | Very high |
| August | 0% | <1% | Very high |
| September | 25% | <1% | Low |
| October | 61% | <1% | Moderate |
| November | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| December | 0% | <1% | Very high |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in June
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP61 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU42 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| NG15 | Highland, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| SN51 | Carmarthenshire, Wales | 100% | Very high |
| SN70 | Neath Port Talbot, Wales | 100% | Very high |
| TG14 | Norfolk, England | 100% | Very high |
| TA27 | East Riding of Yorkshire, England | 2% | Moderate |
| HP50 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| HP60 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| HU67 | Sea, off Shetland Islands | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |