This autumn I was fortunate to document a decent passage of the critically endangered Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola 黄胸鹀 Huáng xiōng wú) on a small patch of wild land close to my apartment in Beijing. This species breeds in Russia, Mongolia, N Japan and NE China, wintering in S China and SE Asia. In Beijing it is a passage migrant in spring and autumn. It is the earliest migratory bunting through Beijing in autumn, with passage sometimes noted as early as late July through to the first week of October. This autumn they were present on a small patch of land near my apartment from at least 28th August (and likely before) until 29th September, with the maximum count reaching 26 on 3rd September. It was a great opportunity to see a variety of plumages, relating to sex and age.
This species is thought to have suffered a drastic population decline of 84.3–94.7% between 1980 and 2013 (Kamp et al.) due to a combination of habitat loss and illegal hunting (it has historically been a particular target in South China for exotic food) but since an impressive public awareness campaign, led by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society 香港觀鳥會 and others, and greater law enforcement, there are signs that the population decline may have been stemmed.
One issue in Beijing at least is that the habitat that Yellow-breasted Buntings prefer is scrub and/or wet grassland/lightly managed agricultural land. However, much of this habitat has been ‘restored’ into neat and tidy parks or used for development. It is notable that I have hardly ever seen a Yellow-breasted Bunting in a city park. So the healthy numbers I documented this autumn may be partly as a result of concentration into ever-smaller areas of suitable habitat.
Of course, it’s much too early to say whether this species is on the road to recovery but the numbers on a tiny patch of land in one of the world’s major capital cities do give me hope for the future. The world would be a poorer place without Yellow-breasted Buntings!
A few selected images below.
Very interesting article and photos. I have only ever seen one Yellow-breasted Bunting in Fife Scotland September 2000
I suspect the number reaching Britain has dropped dramatically in line with the population decline but hopefully any recovery will also be reflected in the number of vagrants!