Species

Justification
This species is listed as Vulnerable because, although it remains abundant locally, anecdotal evidence suggests that overall it has undergone a very rapid population decline owing mainly to trapping on wintering grounds. A program of co-ordinated range-wide monitoring of this species is sorely needed in order to validate the precautionarily suspected rapid declines.

Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of _the_WP15.xls.
AOU. 1998. Check-list of North American birds. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.
Cramp, S.; Perrins, C. M. 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Sibley, C. G.; Monroe, B. L. 1990. Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale University Press, New Haven, USA.

Distribution and population
Emberiza aureola breeds across the northern Palaearctic from Finland, Belarus and Ukraine in the west, through Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia, to far eastern Russia, Korea and northern Japan. In the autumn, birds stop-over in large numbers to moult in the Yangtze Valley, China before continuing on to their winter quarters. It winters throughout a relatively small area in southern and south-east Asia which includes eastern Nepal, north-east India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, southern China, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand (Byers et al. 1995). It was formerly one of the most abundant breeding passerines across vast swathes of Siberia, but although there have been no systematic surveys, a severe decline has been noted in most breeding areas and it has completely disappeared from parts of its former breeding range over the last twenty years. No birds have bred in Finland in the last three years and its range has contracted northwards by 300 km in Kazakhstan over the last 15 years. It is estimated to have declined by at least 70% during 2000-2010 in European Russia, with declines reported in the Moscow, Novgorod, Kostroma, Ulyanovsk and Baikal regions (A. Mischenko in litt. 2012), as well as very rapid declines in Tyumen region reported in 2011 (J. Kamp in litt. 2012), suggesting a massive decline in an area of the core range during 2000-2011 (M. Flade in litt. 2007). Severe declines have also recently been noted in Hokkaido, Japan and Mongolia (S. Chan in litt. 2003, O. Goroshko in litt. 2003, Tamada 2006, M. Gilbert in litt. 2007, A. Mischenko in litt. 2007, J. Kamp in litt. 2007). It no longer occurs as "swarms" at migration watch-points such as Beidaihe, China, and although a range-wide survey is required, numbers at wintering sites throughout its range have also shown rapid declines over the last twenty years (S. Chan in litt. 2003, M. Williams in litt. 2003, J. W. Duckworth in litt. 2003, N. Moores in litt. 2003, T. Evans in litt. 2007, M. Gilbert in litt. 2007, M. Williams in litt. 2007, S. Chan in litt. 2007).

Population justification
In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 20,000-100,000 breeding pairs, equating to 60,000-300,000 individuals (BirdLife International 2004). Europe forms 25-49% of the global range. National population estimates include: c.100-100,000 breeding pairs and c.50-10,000 individuals on migration in China; <c.100,000 breeding pairs and <c.1,000 individuals on migration in Japan and c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs and c.1,000-10,000 individuals on migration in Russia (Brazil 2009).

Trend justification
Quantitative data are lacking, but far fewer birds are now recorded on non-breeding grounds and at passage sites than 15-20 years ago, and the species has disappeared from some former breeding sites. Based on this information, a rapid decline is suspected.

Ecology
It breeds in wet meadows with tall vegetation and scattered scrub, riverside thickets and secondary scrub. It winters in large flocks in cultivated areas, rice fields and grasslands, preferring scrubby dry-water rice fields for foraging and reedbeds for roosting (T. Gray in litt. 2007).

Threats
Since many populations on pristine breeding grounds have dropped rapidly, the decline is likely to be driven by excessive trapping at migration and, in particular, wintering sites (S. Chan in litt. 2003, P. Round in litt. 2003, M. Williams in litt. 2007, S. Chan in litt. 2007) Roosting flocks in reedbeds are disturbed and then caught in mistnets, they are cooked and sold as "sparrows" or "rice-birds"; this practice was formerly restricted to a small area of southern China, but has now become more widespread and popular owing to increasing affluence, and hunters now have to travel widely to find sufficient birds (M. Lau in litt. 2007, M. Williams in litt. 2007, S. Chan in litt. 2007). From 1992 onwards, an estimated several thousand Yellow-breasted Buntings were caught for the annual food festival in Sanshui City, southern China (Gao Yuren 1996). This practice was banned in 1997, but a black market in birds still persists and a huge number of birds are still sold annually, including around 10,000 birds sold daily in a single market in Sanshui (Chan 2004). In China, thousands of males are also stuffed and sold as mascots, since their presence in the home is thought to confer happiness (A. Mischenko in litt. 2012). At least locally, birds are trapped for "merit release" in temples (J. C. Eames in litt. 2007). Agricultural intensification, the shift to irrigated rice production and consequent loss of winter stubble has reduced the quality and quantity of wintering habitat, and the loss of reedbeds has reduced the number of available roost sites (T. Evans in litt. 2007, J. Tordoff in litt. 2007, J. C. Eames in litt. 2007). Declines caused by pressures on the wintering grounds are compounded by a reduction in habitat quality on the breeding grounds in parts of its range, particularly drying of meadows caused by changes in the flow pattern of rivers, a result of dam construction upstream (O. Goroshko in litt. 2003, J. Kamp in litt. 2007).

Conservation actions underway
It is counted occasionally as part of ongoing IBA monitoring in a few sites.

Conservation actions proposed
Design a program of co-ordinated range wide monitoring to determine the magnitude of the decline. Implement the monitoring program at breeding, passage and non-breeding sites. Through awareness campaigns, reduce the demand for the species, both as a snack and a mascot. Research its precise habitat requirements on the wintering grounds. Protect sites which still hold large numbers on the wintering grounds.

References
Byers, C.; Olsson, U.; Curson, J. 1995. Buntings and sparrows: a guide to the buntings and North American sparrows. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, U.K.

Chan, S. 2004. Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola. BirdingASIA: 16-17.

Tamada, K. 2006. Population change of grassland birds over ten years in Nakashibetsu, eastern Hokkaido. Short Communication. Ornithological Science 5: 127–131.

Further web sources of information
Detailed species account from Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status (BirdLife International 2004)

Hear sounds for this species from xeno-canto, the community database of shared bird sounds from around the world.

View photos and videos, and hear sounds of this species from the Internet Bird Collection

Text account compilers
Benstead, P., Derhé, M., Mahood, S.

Contributors
Chan, S., Duckworth, W., Eames, J., Ellermaa, M., Evans, T., Fellowes, J., Flade, M., Gilbert, M., Goroshko, O., Gray, T., Kamp, J., Lau, M., Mischenko, A., Moores, N., Pilgrim, J., Poole, C., Round, P., Tordoff, J., Williams, M., Zöckler, C.

IUCN Red List evaluators
Butchart, S., Symes, A.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Emberiza aureola. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2013. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2013.

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.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.

Additional resources for this species

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