Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica)Where and when to see it in the UK
Status not yet classified · reporting peaks October · Old World Buntings · BOU category A
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.
Rustic Bunting has been recorded in 40 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (1%) in records to 2026. Its strongest squares are in England and Scotland. Reporting peaks in October.
Conservation status: Near Threatened (IUCN Red List, NT)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 7% or more of visits
- High
- 2% to 7%
- Moderate
- <1% to 2%
- 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 | 21% | <1% | High |
| February | 27% | <1% | High |
| March | 70% | <1% | High |
| April | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| May | 22% | <1% | Very high |
| June | 12% | <1% | Low |
| July | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| August | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| September | 18% | <1% | Very high |
| October | 100% | <1% | Moderate |
| November | 38% | <1% | Low |
| December | 83% | <1% | Moderate |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in October
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP60 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU15 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU32 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| SV81 | Isles of Scilly, England | 100% | Very high |
| HU35 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 7% | High |
| TM59 | Suffolk, England | 4% | High |
| TQ48 | Redbridge, England | 2% | High |
| TM23 | Suffolk, England | 1% | Moderate |
| SV91 | Isles of Scilly, England | <1% | Moderate |
| HU67 | Sea, off Shetland Islands | <1% | Moderate |