Ochre-rumped Bunting

The ochre-rumped bunting (Emberiza yessoensis), also known as the Japanese reed bunting, is a bird in the family Emberizidae. It is found in Manchuria, Korea and Japan. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland and swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss. In South Korea it is classified as an endangered species. == Taxonomy == The bird family Emberizidae contains 44 seed-eating species confined to the Old World. The ochre-rumped bunting was first described as Schoenicola yessoensis by Robert Swinhoe in 1874. The species epithet, yessoensis, describes the bird as being found on Yesso (Hokkaido). Within its genus, the ochre-rumped bunting is most closely related to the common reed bunting and Pallas's reed bunting, which have sometimes been classified as being in their own genus Schoeniclus. === Subspecies === Two subspecies are recognised- E. y. continentalis, which breeds in eastern Mongolia, northeast China and Ussuriland and winters in east China and E. y. yessoensis which breeds and winters in Japan and also winters in Korea. == Description == It is 15 cm in length. Typically, it is the richest-coloured of the reed buntings, with the pinkest legs and bill in winter. Adult males have a dark back, chestnut upperparts, and are…