Yellow-breasted bunting (Emberiza aureola) were among the most populous birds of Europe and Asia. Today, due to its presumably delicious meat this not the case. Not even close.
Why Yellow-Breasted Bunting So Rare Nowadays
Since 1980, these birds experienced a huge decline in population of about 84.3% to 94.7% (Conservation Biology). Previously, these bunting could be found in eastern Europe, Japan and Russia. Now, it would take more than a little work to even spot one. Unfortunately, because yellow-breasted bunting are considered a delicacy in China, yellow-breasted bunting hunting is allowed. Due to this, their species is on their way to extinction.
These Bunting May “Meat” The Same Fate Passenger Pigeons Did
Humans have been hunting these birds for over 2000 years. Back in 1997, China actually did ban yellow-breasted bunting hunting but the demand for its meat led to a black market where its meat would be sold anyway–and in millions, too. They were known throughout the country as the “rice bird”.
Dr. Johannes Kamp of the University of Munster describes this decline of these bunting as “unprecedented among birds distributed over such a large area.” The exception being the passenger pigeon. In 1914, we lost the entire passenger pigeon species and not since then has there been such a decline within the bird species. It was also the result of habitat loss and industrial hunting.
These Birds Really Are A Delicacy There
Data shows that as China and East Asia experiences economic growth, the consumption of yellow-breasted bunting also increases. In 2001 alone, about one million were consumed just in Guangdong province of China.
The birds breed in north of the Himalayas and spend their winters in warmer Southeast Asia, after passing through eastern China where they have been hunted for more than 2,000 years now. The research team said that the birds at their wintering grounds, gather in huge flocks at night-time roosts, making them easy prey for trappers using net.
A World Without Yellow-Breasted Bunting
The study published in Conservation Biology is almost like a warning–the warning being, we might lose yellow-breasted bunting forever if we don’t do something. It highlights the parallels between this migratory bird and the passenger pigeon. In both cases, the loss has a very profound affect on the species and ecology.
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