Habitat
Deciduous and mixed forests, on wooded slopes and in high valleys, around woodland edges and in park-like areas with shrubs and thicket. From 600 - 1,500 m.
China (mainland) (P), Hong Kong (China) (P), Japan (B) (NB), North Korea (NB), Philippines (NB), South Korea (P), Taiwan (China) (NB) (P).
Breeds in mountains of northern and western Honshu, in Japan. Main wintering area imperfectly known: includes northern Philippines, probably also Taiwan and south-eastern China (Fujian, Guangdong).
Population
Estimated population is 2,500 - 9,999 (2010) and decreasing.
Status VU
Habitat loss, high levels of pesticide use and trapping for the bird trade are the main threats.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Yellow Bunting (Emberiza sulphurata) [XC324614]
by Jerome Chie-Jen Ko from T\u014dkamachi-shi, Niigata-ken, Japan (song)
Yellow Bunting (Emberiza sulphurata) [XC285686]
by Peter Boesman from Karuizawa forest, Nagano Prefecture, Japan (song)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Sometimes placed in a separate genus, Ocyris. Recent phylogenetic study suggests that this species is closely related to Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla), Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica), Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola), Chestnut Bunting (Emberiza rutila) and Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala), forming a subclade with them. It has been suggested that they form a polytomous group of species, probably the result of a rapid, "simultaneous" radiation.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet