- Yellow Bunting
:"The name "Yellow Bunting" can also refer to the
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)."Taxobox
name = Yellow Bunting
status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo =Passeriformes
familia =Emberizidae
genus = "Emberiza "
species = "E. sulphurata"
binomial = "Emberiza sulphurata"
binomial_authority = Temminck & Schlegel, 1848The Yellow Bunting or Japanese Yellow Bunting ("Emberiza sulphurata") is apasserine bird of easternAsia which belongs to the genus "Emberiza " in the bunting familyEmberizidae .It is 14 cm long and has a conical, grey bill, pinkish-brown feet and brown eyes. The male is grey-green above with black streaks on the back. The underparts are yellow-green (brightest on the throat and belly) with streaks on the flanks. It has black lores, a narrow black chin, a pale eyering and white outer tail-feathers. There are two bars on the wing, formed by pale tips to the median and greater wing-coverts. The female is similar to the male but paler without the black on the lores and chin. The species has a twittering song and a soft 'tsip' call.
The breeding season lasts from mid May to early July. The
nest is built low in a bush and three to five eggs are laid.The Yellow Bunting breeds only in
Japan where it is uncommon. It is found mainly on the largest islandHonshū but may also breed onKyūshū and possibly bred onHokkaidō in the past. It occurs in forest and woodland between 600 and 1500 metres above sea-level, mainly in the central and northern parts of Honshū. A few birds winter in the warmer regions of Japan but most migrate further south. It has been recorded from thePhilippines ,Taiwan ,Hong Kong and south-eastChina at this season but is scarce everywhere. It occurs in woodland, scrub, grassland and farmland during winter. Small numbers pass thoughKorea on spring and autumn migration.The total population of the Yellow Bunting is small and decreasing and the species is classified as Vulnerable by the
IUCN . It is threatened byhabitat loss , the use ofpesticide s and trapping for the cagebird industry.References
*aut|BirdLife International (2007) " [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=8962&m=0 Species factsheet: Emberiza sulphurata] ". Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/6/2007
*aut|Brazil, Mark A. (1991) "The Birds of Japan", Christopher Helm, London
*aut|Kennedey, Robert S.; Gonzales, Pedro C,; Dickinson, Edward C.; Miranda, Hector C. & Fisher, Timothy H. (2000) "A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines", Oxford University Press, Oxford
*aut|Lee, Woo-Shin, Koo, Tae-Hoe & Park, Jin-Young (2000) "A Field Guide to the Birds of Korea", LG Evergreen Foundation, Seoul
*aut|MacKinnon, John & Phillipps, Karen (2000) "A Field Guide to the Birds of China", Oxford University Press, OxfordExternal links
* [http://avesphoto.com/website/JP/gallery/Gall-36.htm Photo of a Yellow Bunting]
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