Justification This bunting has a very small, declining and severely fragmented population as a result of conversion and degradation of grassland for arable cultivation and pasture. It has disappeared from many historical locations, and populations at the few known remaining sites have crashed in recent years. Surveys are urgently required to determine its status over its large former range, and unless additional stable populations are discovered in the near future it may require uplisting to Endangered or Critically Endangered.

Family/Sub-family Emberizidae

Species name author Taczanowski, 1888

Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification 16 cm. Strongly rufescent bunting with bold head pattern and mantle streaks and pale underparts. Grey ear-coverts, centre of breast and white wing-bars. Male has oval blackish-chestnut belly patch. Non-breeding male has more obscured belly patch and duller, more heavily streaked upperparts. Similar spp. Male Meadow Bunting E. cioides lacks belly patch, has black ear-coverts, chestnut-buff underparts and indistinct grey/brown wing-bar. Female has browner ear-coverts and buffish breast and buff wing-bars. Voice Song is a simple chu-chu cha-cha cheee or hsuii dzja dzja dzjeee. Calls include single or double tsitt, thin hsiu and explosive sstlitt when alarmed.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

250-999

decreasing

233,000 km²

No

Range & population Emberiza jankowskii breeds in extreme north-eastern North Korea and in Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia and Jilin, China. In China, it disperses south and west outside the breeding season, when there are records from Liaoning, Hebei and Beijing. In Russia, it was previously locally common in southern Primorye, with a population estimated at several hundred pairs, but had disappeared from its former breeding sites by the early 1970s, and there have been no subsequent records. In the past, it was not uncommon within its small range in North Korea, but there is little recent information. In China, the breeding population at three sites in Jilin province was estimated at 330-430 pairs in 1994, and in the first half of the 20th century it was locally common in Heilongjiang, however there are very few recent records and it appears to have disappeared or drastically declined at most of its known sites. It is believed to be extinct in eastern Jilin, and in 2008 breeding was known from a total of only four sites¹. At Huichin (south-western Jilin) 350 pairs were recorded in 1994 but none could be found in 2005². No birds have been recorded at Xianghai Nature Reserve since 2003, while at Baicheng the population declined from 100 individuals in 2001 to only two in 2008². At Dagang Forestry, western Jilin, the population crashed between 1999-2002 from c.55 pairs to c.15 pairs and remained relatively constant at around 15 pairs from 2002-2006¹. The only other currently known sites are Tumiji (possibly fewer than 50 birds) and Keerqin (43 individuals recorded in a brief survey in 2008)². The total population is likely to be fewer than 500 pairs, even assuming that there are currently unknown populations remaining elsewhere, but may now be considerably fewer than 200 pairs².

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: It breeds in a variety of open habitats at low altitudes, usually grassland with scattered scrub or small trees on a sandy substrate, within a narrow semi-humid transitional zone between the Manchurian deciduous forest and Mongolian steppe-vegetation zones. The breeding season extends from late April to late July¹.

Threats The main threat appears to be the conversion of its habitats for agricultural land and pasture, particularly in China, and possibly also forestry. However, forestry can result in areas of young trees which are temporarily suitable habitat until dense forest develops. In Russia, its decline may have occurred because fires, started for agricultural purposes, affected its habitat and prevented breeding. Potentially suitable habitats remaining in Russia (and presumably also North Korea) are threatened by the implementation of the large-scale Tumangan Development Project. Birds at Dagang Forestry, western Jilin suffered a high degree of nest abandonment, which may have been caused by a combination of disturbance by grazing livestock and predation by snakes and rats¹. European suslik Citellus citellus and Amur Falcon Falco amurensis are also potential nest predators¹. Human populations are rapidly expanding within the species's range, and activities such as grazing, digging up medicinal plants and picking the fruits of Siberian apricot Armeniaca sibirica have increased, altering vegetation structure and increasing the probability of nest-robbing by fruit-pickers and shepherds¹.

Conservation measures underway It is protected in Russia and North Korea. Part of its former breeding range in Russia is protected within the Khasanskiy Nature Park and a population is protected in Xianghai Nature Reserve in China.

Conservation measures proposed Conduct surveys to locate suitable habitat and breeding populations in Russia, North Korea and Heilongjiang (China), with the aim of establishing new protected areas and suitable habitat management regimes for it. Monitor population trends through regular surveys. Monitor rates of habitat loss and degradation throughout its range. Restore its habitats within the Khasanskiy Nature Park. Implement the management plan for Xianghai Nature Reserve. Consider the designation of new nature reserves to protect breeding populations in Jilin. Seek to influence forestry practices for the benefit of this species. List it as a nationally protected species in China.

References BirdLife International (2001). 1. Yun-Lei Jian et al. (2008). 2. Wang Ruiqing & Li Fei (2008).

Further web sources of information

Fully detailed species accounts from the Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2001), together with new information collated since the publication of the Red Data Book

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Mike Crosby (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International), Nic Peet (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Contributors Simba Chan (Wild Bird Society of Japan), Fion Cheung (Hong Kong Bird Watching Society), J. Hornbuckle, Duncan Wilson

IUCN Red List evaluators Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Simba Chan (Wild Bird Society of Japan), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Emberiza jankowskii. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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