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The books are listed in order of publication date with the most recent at the top.

Buntings

The Emberizidae family are generally known as sparrows in the new world and buntings in the old world. The family also includes juncos, towhees and brush-finches.

In the UK

Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalis

Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinella

Cirl Bunting
Emberiza cirius

Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclus

Ortolan Bunting
Emberiza hortulana

Corn Bunting
Milaria calandra

Lapland Bunting
Calcarius lapponicus
(Not classified as a bunting)

Rare UK visitors

Eastern Towhee
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Black-faced Bunting
Pine Bunting
Rock Bunting
Cretzschmar's Bunting
Chestnut-eared Bunting
Yellow-browed Bunting
Rustic Bunting
Little Bunting
Yellow-breasted Bunting
Pallas' Reed Bunting
Black-headed Bunting
Indigo Bunting

Worldwide

There are about 165 species in the Emberizidae family which includes new world sparrows, buntings, juncos, towhees and brush-finches.

For books about new world sparrows see:

- new world sparrows

Buntings and Sparrows: A Guide to the Buntings and North American Sparrows

Urban Olsson and Jon Curson

Christopher Helm

2013

This is a reprint of the 1999 edition published by Pica

"This book is the first comprehensive guide to all the Old World buntings and North American sparrows. It includes 39 plates in full colour depicting all the species and distinct races. In the systematic section each species account is divided into sections: the identification section summarises important field marks; the description section details plumage and bare part characteristics for all ages and sexes; geographical variation covers taxonomy, and other sections give detailed measurements, descriptions of moult and ageing, habits, voice, status and habitat, distribution and movements, and references. A range map is included for each species. This beautifully presented book will for many years to come help solve the identification problems posed by a delightful and sought-after family of birds."

Trade-Off Between Starvation and Predation: Weight-Watching in Yellowhammers

Ineke T. Van Der Veen

1999

The Ecology and Conservation of Corn Buntings Milaria Calandra: Proceedings of a Conference held at Fordingbridge, Hampshire, 2-3 March 1995

Editors: PF Donald and NJ Aebischer

1997

"The decline of the corn bunting Milaria Calandra has been one of the most rapid in the UK and the species has therefore been included on the 'middle' list of the Biodiversity Steering Group's Report Biodiversity: the UK Action Plan. To help determine the targets for this species and to focus conservation action at the real causes of decline, it is essential that any action is underpinned by detailed biological information. The papers and posters presented at this symposium make an important contribution to the science that will underlie the conservation action plan for these birds."

Buntings and Sparrows: A Guide to the Buntings and North American Sparrows

Urban Olsson and Jon Curson

Pica Press

1995

This guide covers all the buntings (Palearctic) and sparrows (Nearctic) of the Holarctic region. The 118 species are members of the sub-family emberizinae, and are represented in nearly every habitat in the region. They also present considerable identification problems.

Bird Study, Volume 42, Issue 3

1995

Main articles:

• Changes in Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus distribution and abundance and vegetation height on chalk grassland at Porton Down, Wiltshire - R. E. Green & C. R. Taylor
• Long-term trends in the arrival dates of spring migrants - C. F. Mason
• Habitat selection and population size of Corn Buntings Miliaria calandra breeding in Britain in 1993 - P. F. Donald & A. D. Evans
• The effects of agricultural change on population size of Corn Buntings Miliaria Calandra on individual farms - P. F. Donald & C. Forrest
• The influence of refuse tips on the winter distribution of Yellow-legged Gulls Larus cachinnans - D. Sol, J. M. Arcos & J. C. Senar
• Breeding biology and survival of the Alpine Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus - A. Delestrade & G. Stoyanov

Snow Buntings Breeding In The Cairngorms: Population Dynamics And The Influence Of Recreation

Richard D Smith

1994

A 65 page report.

In Search of the Cirl Bunting

Andrew Cole

1993

A 127 page study of the Cirl Bunting which traces the history of the species in Britain and describes identification, habits, summer and winter habitat, breeding, and factors contributing to its decline. Includes colour and black and white photographs and a number of maps and line drawings.

The Effects Of Agricultural Change On Population Size And Territory Distribution Of The Corn Bunting Miliaria Calandra

Donald, P.F. & Forrest, C.

British Trust for Ornithology

1993

52 page report.

Ecology of Buntings: the Study of the Genus Emberiza in Transbaikal

T.Z. Dorzheiv and B.O. Yumov

1991

The comparative ecology of buntings is analyzed with respect to the species` distribution, habitat preferences, feeding, nesting, population dynamics etc. The book focuses mainly on specific adaptations and ecological mechanims, allowing co-existence of different species.

The book is in Russian but has an English summary.

The Snow Bunting

Desmond Nethersole-Thompson

Oliver & Boyd

1966

Reprint 1993 Peregrine Books

A detailed 339 page study of the natural history and biology of the Snow Bunting. Based on the authors field observations in Scotland, information about breeding populations in Greenland and Spitzbergen and information from the literature. The 1993 reprint includes two additional chapters: one a 1976 paper by the author on distribution, ecology and breeding, and the second, the other a 1993 update on Snow Buntings in Scotland.

Bird Study, Volume 8, Issue 3

Main articles:

• The development of behaviour in some young Passerines - E. M. Barraud
• A method for sexing living Fulmars in the hand - G. M. Dunnet & A. Anderson
• The winter status of the Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1959–60 - J. A. G. Barnes
• Indications of the food of the Kestrel in upland districts of Yorkshire - C. Simms
• Weight change in male Reed Buntings - R. E. Scott

Bird Study, Volume 7, Issue 2

Main articles:

• The Development of Young Snipe Studied by Mist-Netting - Kenneth Williamson
• A Survey of the Slavonian Grebe at Myvatn, Iceland - H. J. Clase, F. Cooke, T. A. Hill & W. J. Roff
• Common Gull Movements Shown Ringing Returns - Mrs. M. C. Radford M.D.
• Nest Records of the Yellowhammer - D. B. Peakall
• The Origin of Winter Visitors to the British Isles 5. Redwing (Turdus musicus) - M. J. Goodacre
• The Origin of Winter Visitors to the British Isles 6. Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) - M. J. Goodacre
• The Origin of Winter Visitors to the British Isles 7. Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) - M. J. Goodacre