Japanese Reed Bunting Emberiza yessoensis 紅頸葦鵐
Category I. Accidental in late autumn to drier areas of tall grass and reeds.
IDENTIFICATION
Nov. 2020, Michelle and Peter Wong. First-winter female.
14-15 cm. Only slightly larger than Pallas’s Reed Bunting. Resembles other reed buntings but warmer rufous-brown overall with a sandy nape contrasting with dark crown. Has a prominent blackish malar stripe and border to rear of ear coverts on female (illustrated) and largely pale pinkish bill. Males have more extensive black on the ear coverts.
Like Pallas’s Reed Bunting, has greyish lesser coverts. First-winter birds show variable streaking on breast and flanks (Byers et al. 1995).
Nov. 2020, Michelle and Peter Wong. First-winter female.
Broad warm buff fringes to wing coverts and flight feathers impart a relatively uniform appearance to wing. Blackish mantle streaks contrast with the tawny rump. Among reed buntings the central tail feathers are palest on this species due to lack of extensive dark centres.
VOCALISATIONS
The call is a high-pitched, thin and clear ‘tsip’, unlike the typical calls of Pallas’s Reed or Common Reed Bunting.
Byers et al. (1995) also report a ‘bschet’ call similar to the flight call of Common Reed Bunting.
DISTRIBUTION & HABITAT PREFERENCE
Has occurred in tall grass or reeds at or near Mai Po and in dry, grassy areas at Long Valley.
OCCURRENCE
1992: an adult female trapped near Mai Po on 21 November (Leven and Carey 1993).
2014: first-winter male trapped at Mai Po NR on 18 November.
2020: first-winter female at Long Valley on 13 November.
BEHAVIOUR, FORAGING & DIET
No observations.
RANGE & SYSTEMATICS
Two subspecies are recognised. The nominate taxon breeds on Honshu and Kyushu, Japan, and winters in south Japan and South Korea. The mainland Asian form E. y. continentalis breeds in southeast Siberia, east Mongolia and northeast China and winters in coastal east China (Copete 2020, Liu and Chen 2020).
CONSERVATION STATUS
IUCN: NEAR-THREATENED. Population size small (6,000 – 15,000) and decreasing.
Byers, C., U. Olsson and J. Curson (1995). Buntings and Sparrows. A Guide to the Buntings and North American Sparrows. Pica Press, UK.
Copete, J. L. (2020). Ochre-rumped Bunting (Emberiza yessoensis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.ocrbun1.01.
Liu, Y. and Y. H. Chen (eds) (2020). The CNG Field Guide to the Birds of China (in Chinese). Hunan Science and Technology Publication House, Changsha.
Leven, M. R. and G. J. Carey (1993). Systematic List. Hong Kong Bird Report 1992: 14-74.
