Emberiza aureola

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	PASSERIFORMES	EMBERIZIDAE

Scientific Name:

Emberiza aureola

Species Authority:

Pallas, 1773

Common Name/s:

English

–

Yellow-breasted Bunting

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable A2acd+3cd+4acd ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Mahood, S., Butchart, S.

Contributor/s:

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

Justification:
This species has been uplisted to 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.

History:

2004

–

Near Threatened

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	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 Thailand¹. It was formerly one of the most abundant breeding passerines across vast swathes of Siberia, but, although it remains common in some regions^17,19, and 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 has declined rapidly in Russia both in the Moscow and Baikal Regions, and severe declines have also recently been noted in Hokkaido, Japan and Mongolia^2,7,9,13,14. 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^{2,4,5,6,8,9,18,20}.
Countries:	Native: Bangladesh; Cambodia; China; Finland; Hong Kong; India; Japan; Kazakhstan; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Malaysia; Mongolia; Myanmar; Nepal; Oman; Pakistan; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Singapore; Taiwan, Province of China; Thailand; Viet Nam Vagrant: Bahrain; Belarus; Belgium; Brunei Darussalam; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Egypt; Estonia; France; Germany; Greece; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jordan; Latvia; Malta; Netherlands; Norway; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Saudi Arabia; Spain; Sweden; Syrian Arab Republic; Turkey; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 20000-100000 breeding pairs, equating to 60000-300000 individuals (BirdLife International 2004). Europe forms 25-49% of the global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population siz
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and 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 roosting¹¹.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	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^2,3,18,20. 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^{16,18, 20}. Although it is illegal in some areas, over a million individuals are killed annually to be sold as snacks¹³. In China, thousands of males are also stuffed and sold as mascots, since their presence in the home is thought to confer happiness¹³. At least locally, birds are trapped for "merit release" in temples¹². 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^8,10,12. 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^7,14.

Major Threat(s):

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^2,3,18,20. 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^{16,18, 20}. Although it is illegal in some areas, over a million individuals are killed annually to be sold as snacks¹³. In China, thousands of males are also stuffed and sold as mascots, since their presence in the home is thought to confer happiness¹³. At least locally, birds are trapped for "merit release" in temples¹². 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^8,10,12. 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^7,14.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	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.

Conservation Actions:

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.

Bibliography [top]

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

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

Citation:	BirdLife International 2008. Emberiza aureola. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 22 May 2012.
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