bunting

Bunting is a term with two principal senses. In decoration, bunting refers to strings of pennant- or banner-shaped flags used to festoon spaces for celebrations. Flags are usually fabric or paper, often triangular or rectangular, and tied to a cord or wire. Bunting is common at holidays, weddings, street parades, and sporting events, and can be handmade or commercially produced. The practice dates back several centuries in Europe and has spread worldwide, with regional styles and colors reflecting local traditions.

In ornithology, bunting describes several small seed-eating birds. In the Old World, true buntings belong to the genus Emberiza within the family Emberizidae. In the New World, some species formerly called buntings are placed in genus Passerina within the family Cardinalidae. Buntings are typically compact birds with short, stout bills suited for seed eating. Plumage often shows strong sexual dimorphism, with bright males in breeding plumage and more subdued females. They inhabit open habitats such as grasslands, scrub, farmland, and woodland edges, and many are migratory. Their diets are mainly seeds, supplemented by insects during the breeding season. Notable species include the indigo bunting and painted bunting in the Americas, as well as various Emberiza buntings across Europe, Asia, and Africa.