Yellow-Breasted songbirds - buntings - are nearing extinction, according to a new study released Tuesday, June 9, 2015. The songs of the species Emberiza aureola, which was once considered as the most abundant of all birds in Asia and Europe, may not be heard anymore due to Chinese eating practices. In 2013, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature declared that the China-dubbed "rice birds" are classified as endangered.

The researchers of the study found that the population of the songbirds declined massively since the 1980s, with a rate of 90 percent. The first population drop of the species was noted many years ago, prompting a hunting ban in 1997. People continued to hunt and sell songbirds, including buntings, to the black market, as these were highly demanded by consumers, particularly from the high-class society. East Asia experienced a boost in economic growth in 2013, which is said to be a factor for the continuous practice of eating buntings. Reports say that in 2001, approximately one million of the bird species were consumed in the southern province of Guangdong, China alone.

The buntings rest on the grounds during winter. Their wintering grounds are filled with large flocks of birds at night time, making them prone for capture by humans using nets. As they have distinct yellow underparts, the buntings are easily hunted by flocks of millions.

"The magnitude and speed of the decline is unprecedented among birds with a comparable range size, with the exception of the Passenger Pigeon, which went extinct in 1914 due to industrial-scale hunting," says Dr Johannes Kamp from the University of Münster, the lead author of the study. "High levels of hunting also appear to be responsible for the declines we are seeing in Yellow-breasted Bunting."

Following the reports of the extinction, the Convention on Migratory Species is convinced that an action plan with an international scope should be formulated by 2017 so that the buntings can recover from its population loss.

"To reverse these declines we need to better educate people of the consequences of eating wildlife," says Simba Chan, senior conservation officer at BirdLife International. "We also need a better and more efficient reporting system for law enforcement."

Photo: Sham Edmond | Flickr