<p>Mumbai: Over 1,80,000 birds were recorded in the first multi-country Joint yellow-breasted Bunting Winter Roost Count from mid-February to mid-March 2026. </p><p>This is the first time a reliable figure for this critically endangered bird has been revealed thanks to a collaboration between six wintering countries: Nepal, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, according to a press statement. </p><p> The yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola) was regarded as one of the most abundant landbird species in Eurasia prior to the 1990s. It was estimated to have a global population of at least 100 million birds, and migrated in flocks of tens of thousands across the farmlands in eastern and southern Asia. </p><p>However, it has suffered a serious decline of approximately 84.3 per cent–95 per cent between 1980 and 2013. Since 2017, it has been listed as a Critically Endangered species on the IUCN Red List.</p><p>The primary cause of decline is believed to be massive hunting along its migratory route. But other factors such as destruction and deterioration of habitat (lowland wetlands and farmland), use of agrochemical cannot be ignored.</p>.Not flying high: Close to half of migratory species show decline in population, finds new study.<p>Prior to 2016, very little study had been done on Yellow-breasted Buntings. An action plan was compiled since 2016. Since then, there have been international conservation projects, surveys and networking of researchers and conservationists in range countries.</p><p>To understand its status and evaluate effectiveness of conservation actions, regular monitoring of yellow-breasted Bunting populations is needed. The best time to monitor them is when the species is concentrated in roosts in their wintering grounds, which is why the roost count was initiated. </p><p>Like the Asian Waterbird Census, the roost counts of Yellow-breasted Bunting can also strengthen an international network for conservation of this species.</p><p>This is a landmark in land bird conservation in Asia as the census in 2026 marks a start of our understanding of real population sizes and cross-country collaboration for monitoring. </p><p>It is still incomplete as not all sites were covered. The number should be treated as the start of a baseline number for population monitoring.</p><p>“It should be emphasised that the figure 187,310 Yellow-breasted Bunting was the result from a joint census, it is only a fraction of the total population as not all roosts were covered, and many yellow-breasted Buntings were not staying at roosts at night,” the statement said.</p>
<p>Mumbai: Over 1,80,000 birds were recorded in the first multi-country Joint yellow-breasted Bunting Winter Roost Count from mid-February to mid-March 2026. </p><p>This is the first time a reliable figure for this critically endangered bird has been revealed thanks to a collaboration between six wintering countries: Nepal, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, according to a press statement. </p><p> The yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola) was regarded as one of the most abundant landbird species in Eurasia prior to the 1990s. It was estimated to have a global population of at least 100 million birds, and migrated in flocks of tens of thousands across the farmlands in eastern and southern Asia. </p><p>However, it has suffered a serious decline of approximately 84.3 per cent–95 per cent between 1980 and 2013. Since 2017, it has been listed as a Critically Endangered species on the IUCN Red List.</p><p>The primary cause of decline is believed to be massive hunting along its migratory route. But other factors such as destruction and deterioration of habitat (lowland wetlands and farmland), use of agrochemical cannot be ignored.</p>.Not flying high: Close to half of migratory species show decline in population, finds new study.<p>Prior to 2016, very little study had been done on Yellow-breasted Buntings. An action plan was compiled since 2016. Since then, there have been international conservation projects, surveys and networking of researchers and conservationists in range countries.</p><p>To understand its status and evaluate effectiveness of conservation actions, regular monitoring of yellow-breasted Bunting populations is needed. The best time to monitor them is when the species is concentrated in roosts in their wintering grounds, which is why the roost count was initiated. </p><p>Like the Asian Waterbird Census, the roost counts of Yellow-breasted Bunting can also strengthen an international network for conservation of this species.</p><p>This is a landmark in land bird conservation in Asia as the census in 2026 marks a start of our understanding of real population sizes and cross-country collaboration for monitoring. </p><p>It is still incomplete as not all sites were covered. The number should be treated as the start of a baseline number for population monitoring.</p><p>“It should be emphasised that the figure 187,310 Yellow-breasted Bunting was the result from a joint census, it is only a fraction of the total population as not all roosts were covered, and many yellow-breasted Buntings were not staying at roosts at night,” the statement said.</p>