First-ever capture of wintering Yellow-breasted Bunting population with support from Japanese citizens
Bird Research and the Wild Bird Society of Japan jointly conducted crowdfunding to carry out the first-ever international joint survey of the endangered Yellow-breasted Bunting's wintering population across four countries: Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia. This effort confirmed over 180,000 individuals, marking a significant step towards future conservation activities.
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- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 23:09
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 14:31
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Yellow-breasted Bunting once observed in Hokkaido (Photo by Hisatoyo Mima)
The Yellow-breasted Bunting was once estimated to have a population of over 100 million birds breeding across vast grasslands of Eurasia (Kamp et al, 2015) and was commonly seen in wetlands and grasslands of Hokkaido. However, its population has rapidly declined in recent years, with no breeding individuals recorded in Japan in 2025.
In response to this situation, the NPO Bird Research and the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Wild Bird Society of Japan jointly raised funds through crowdfunding, enabling the first multinational joint survey of Yellow-breasted Bunting wintering roosts.
(From September to November 2025, a total of 4.61 million yen was donated by 411 individuals.)
The survey utilized the Yellow-breasted Bunting's habit of gathering at winter roosts and was conducted from mid-February to mid-March 2026 in four countries: Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia.
As a result, 187,310 Yellow-breasted Buntings were recorded at 16 roost sites.
Although not exhaustive, the ability to collectively ascertain the current population in the four countries, which are major wintering grounds for the critically endangered Yellow-breasted Bunting, marks a very significant step towards future conservation.
It has been pointed out that not only Yellow-breasted Buntings but also many birds inhabiting farmlands and grasslands are declining. The realization of this joint survey marks an important first step in building an international conservation network for grassland birds in the Asian region.
*This achievement will also be announced in a press release in the participating countries on May 11.
Contact:
NPO Bird Research
Representative: Kentaro Takagi, Contract Researcher: Simba Chan
Tel: 042-505-4044 E-mail: br@bird-research.jp
Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Wild Bird Society of Japan
Managing Director: Masaharu Hayama, Contract Researcher: Simba Chan (Mr. Simba is a researcher for both organizations)
Tel: 03-5436-2633 E-mail: hogo@wbsj.org
You can view crowdfunding details and YouTube videos on the website below:
https://www.bird-research.jp/1_katsudo/shimaaoji/result.html
Photos of Yellow-breasted Buntings, survey results figures, and videos from the survey in Thailand are available.
Yellow-breasted Bunting and its population decline
The male Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola) is a small, sparrow-sized bird characterized by a black face, chestnut-brown back, and yellow belly. The female's face is not black, and her body color is paler than the male's. While widely distributed and breeding in northern Eurasia, its wintering grounds are limited to a narrow region from southern China to Southeast Asia, where it migrates in large flocks and winters in groups.
Male Yellow-breasted Bunting Photo by Takeshi Takano, Female Yellow-breasted Bunting Photo by Kasha Someya
Before the 1990s, the Yellow-breasted Bunting was considered one of the most common grassland birds in Eurasia. Its population at that time was estimated to be over 100 million birds, and flocks of tens of thousands were observed migrating through farmlands in East and South Asia. However, a rapid decline of approximately 84.3-95% of the population occurred between 1980 and 2013 (Kemp et al.), and since 2017, it has been designated as Critically Endangered (CE) on the IUCN Red List.
In Japan, it was widely distributed and bred in Hokkaido's grasslands, wetlands, and pastures until the 1980s. However, in the 1990s, its population decreased, and its distribution shrank. The Wild Bird Society of Japan conducts breeding season surveys in the Sarobetsu Wilderness, the only known breeding ground for Yellow-breasted Buntings in Japan, but after multiple individuals were confirmed singing in 2024, not a single one was recorded in 2025.
It is designated as Critically Endangered IA, the highest rank, on the Ministry of the Environment's Red List.
The primary cause of this rapid decline is believed to be large-scale mist-net hunting for food along migration routes, but the possibility of habitat loss or change, and the effects of agricultural chemicals (directly or via food) cannot be ignored.
Number of 20km meshes where Yellow-breasted Buntings were confirmed in the National Bird Breeding Distribution Survey. Yellow-breasted Bunting sold for food in Hong Kong in 1997 (Photo: Simba Chan)
Background to the survey
To conserve the Yellow-breasted Bunting, which migrates across national borders, international cooperation and understanding the current situation are indispensable.
Their current plight must be widely publicized to the world, and the factors believed to cause their decline must be reduced one by one.
And regular population monitoring.
The Yellow-breasted Bunting was once estimated to have a population of over 100 million birds breeding across vast grasslands of Eurasia (Kamp et al, 2015) and was commonly seen in wetlands and grasslands of Hokkaido. However, its population has rapidly declined in recent years, with no breeding individuals recorded in Japan in 2025.
In response to this situation, the NPO Bird Research and the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Wild Bird Society of Japan jointly raised funds through crowdfunding, enabling the first multinational joint survey of Yellow-breasted Bunting wintering roosts.
(From September to November 2025, a total of 4.61 million yen was donated by 411 individuals.)
The survey utilized the Yellow-breasted Bunting's habit of gathering at winter roosts and was conducted from mid-February to mid-March 2026 in four countries: Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia.
As a result, 187,310 Yellow-breasted Buntings were recorded at 16 roost sites.
Although not exhaustive, the ability to collectively ascertain the current population in the four countries, which are major wintering grounds for the critically endangered Yellow-breasted Bunting, marks a very significant step towards future conservation.
It has been pointed out that not only Yellow-breasted Buntings but also many birds inhabiting farmlands and grasslands are declining. The realization of this joint survey marks an important first step in building an international conservation network for grassland birds in the Asian region.
*This achievement will also be announced in a press release in the participating countries on May 11.
Contact:
NPO Bird Research
Representative: Kentaro Takagi, Contract Researcher: Simba Chan
Tel: 042-505-4044 E-mail: br@bird-research.jp
Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Wild Bird Society of Japan
Managing Director: Masaharu Hayama, Contract Researcher: Simba Chan (Mr. Simba is a researcher for both organizations)
Tel: 03-5436-2633 E-mail: hogo@wbsj.org
You can view crowdfunding details and YouTube videos on the website below:
https://www.bird-research.jp/1_katsudo/shimaaoji/result.html
Photos of Yellow-breasted Buntings, survey results figures, and videos from the survey in Thailand are available.
Yellow-breasted Bunting and its population decline
The male Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola) is a small, sparrow-sized bird characterized by a black face, chestnut-brown back, and yellow belly. The female's face is not black, and her body color is paler than the male's. While widely distributed and breeding in northern Eurasia, its wintering grounds are limited to a narrow region from southern China to Southeast Asia, where it migrates in large flocks and winters in groups.
Male Yellow-breasted Bunting Photo by Takeshi Takano, Female Yellow-breasted Bunting Photo by Kasha Someya
Before the 1990s, the Yellow-breasted Bunting was considered one of the most common grassland birds in Eurasia. Its population at that time was estimated to be over 100 million birds, and flocks of tens of thousands were observed migrating through farmlands in East and South Asia. However, a rapid decline of approximately 84.3-95% of the population occurred between 1980 and 2013 (Kemp et al.), and since 2017, it has been designated as Critically Endangered (CE) on the IUCN Red List.
In Japan, it was widely distributed and bred in Hokkaido's grasslands, wetlands, and pastures until the 1980s. However, in the 1990s, its population decreased, and its distribution shrank. The Wild Bird Society of Japan conducts breeding season surveys in the Sarobetsu Wilderness, the only known breeding ground for Yellow-breasted Buntings in Japan, but after multiple individuals were confirmed singing in 2024, not a single one was recorded in 2025.
It is designated as Critically Endangered IA, the highest rank, on the Ministry of the Environment's Red List.
The primary cause of this rapid decline is believed to be large-scale mist-net hunting for food along migration routes, but the possibility of habitat loss or change, and the effects of agricultural chemicals (directly or via food) cannot be ignored.
Number of 20km meshes where Yellow-breasted Buntings were confirmed in the National Bird Breeding Distribution Survey. Yellow-breasted Bunting sold for food in Hong Kong in 1997 (Photo: Simba Chan)
Background to the survey
To conserve the Yellow-breasted Bunting, which migrates across national borders, international cooperation and understanding the current situation are indispensable.
Their current plight must be widely publicized to the world, and the factors believed to cause their decline must be reduced one by one.
And regular population monitoring.