The ochre-rumped bunting, also known as the Japanese reed bunting, is a bird in the family Emberizidae. The species was first described as Schoenicola yessoensis by Robert Swinhoe in 1874. The species epithet, yessoensis, describes the bird as being found on Yesso (Hokkaido).
Region
Northeast Asia
Typical Environment
Breeds in lowland marshes and reedbeds across northeastern Asia, including Hokkaido and parts of the Russian Far East and northeastern China. It favors dense stands of Phragmites reeds, sedge meadows, and wet riparian thickets. In the non-breeding season it uses coastal reedbeds, rice paddies, damp fields, and marshy edges. It typically avoids dry open country, staying close to cover. Wintering occurs mainly in Japan, Korea, and eastern China, where it remains near freshwater wetlands.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the Japanese reed bunting, it is strongly tied to extensive reedbeds and sedge marshes. The warm ochre rump shown in flight is a key field mark among otherwise streaky brown reed buntings. It breeds in northeastern Asia and winters further south in East Asia. Ongoing loss and fragmentation of wetlands can negatively affect its numbers.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low over vegetation
Social Behavior
Typically nests low in dense reeds or sedges; pairs defend small territories in the breeding season. Outside breeding, it forms small loose flocks and often mixes with other reed-dwelling passerines. The nest is a cup of grasses and reed leaves, clutch size commonly 3–5 eggs, with both parents feeding the young.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Song is a simple, thin series of short phrases delivered from exposed reed tops. Calls include a sharp tik and soft tseep notes that carry over marshes.
Plumage
Streaked brown upperparts with a contrasting warm ochre rump; underparts pale with fine flank streaking. Face pattern shows a pale supercilium and darker ear coverts; tail with white outer feathers. Males in breeding season are slightly brighter and more contrasting; females and non-breeding birds are duller and more streaked.
Diet
Feeds on seeds of grasses, sedges, and reeds outside the breeding season. During breeding, it takes more animal prey such as insects, spiders, and small aquatic invertebrates. It gleans from seed heads and reed stems and also picks items from the ground or shallow water edges.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense reedbeds, sedge marshes, wet meadows, and along ditches and rice paddies. Often stays close to cover, moving between reed clumps and edges of open water.
