Jack Bowling wrote:

> Suggestion of slightly paler median crown stripe.

The best field characteristic for reed bunting is that they fly with their
tail slightly spread. There is not much of a crown stripe in European birds,
though I don't know about the Asian populations.

> Walked rather than hopped.

While not 100% sure on this I would consider a longspur rather than a
bunting. Buntings are scrub, etc, dwellers and are more likely to hop. I know
reed buntings do. Tundra dwelling longspurs (I'm thinking of Lapland here) are
essentially ground feeding birds and therefore more likely to walk.

Stuart
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Stuart MacKay AT&T Wireless Services
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