Yellow-breasted bunting need to be saved. - http://clapway.com/2015/06/09/china-yellow-breasted-bunting-hunting-could-end-species-123/

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.

A bird so bright and yellow, who needs the sun? For those who do check out Sun Lifelight:

China: Yellow-Breasted Bunting Hunting Could End Species

Hummingbird/Peacock -Like ancient bird begs the question: Form over function or function over form? - http://clapway.com/2015/06/04/brazil-peacock-like-ancient-bird-species-tail-feathers-have-weird-implications-123/

If there were ever a reason to proudly wear your colors, this ancient Northeast Brazilian bird species has got all the persuasion. Its color split-tail with ribbon-like, arrow-like feathers forces it to stand out despite its diminutive size.

Ancient Bird Species Like a Hummingbird Peacock

Paleontologists have discovered an new bird species from about 150 million years ago. So this Mesozoic era (about 115-million-years ago) bird is more of an ancient bird species than a new. But this is precisely why it is able to tell us so much about the evolution of our world — especially because its ornamental feathers remind of Charles Darwin’s biggest challenger to natural selection, the peacock.

Not unlike the peacock of Darwin’s nightmares, this ancient bird could aptly be described with the expression “form over function”. Probably geared toward sexual attractiveness and visual communication, its feathers do not optimize its natural aerodynamics. Fortunately, it’s only about 5.5 inches, much like a hummingbird — in size anyway.

Araripe Basin and A Supercontinent Called Gondwana

This ancient bird’s fossils were found in the Araripe Basin in Brazil in 2011. The Araripe Basin has already been a hub of paleontological discovery. Researchers have been able to find fossils of ancient reptiles, insects, fish, and plants pretty commonly.

As it stands, it is considered one of the oldest bird fossils ever discovered. The research by Ismar de Souza Carvalho, a professor of paleontology as well as geology at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is enthusiastic about the fossils ability to teach us more about terrestrial ecosystems of the Mesozoic era in this region of the world.

During the time of this ancient bird’s existence on Earth, the continents as we know it had not formed. Gondwana, the home of this ancient bird, was the name of the more southern of the two continents part of Pangea. Consisting of Africa, Antarctica, Australia, India and South America, Gondwana formed before Pangea and then became a part of Pangea. Eventually Gondwana separated from Pangea after Pangea broke into many continents.

What Can Be Learned From Ancient Bird Species Fossil?

The fossil’s properties suggests this bird species died young, but the causes were indeterminable. It was dateable to the Early Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era. In the past, fossils from ancient bird species with these types of arrow-like tail feathers were found, but only in China. In theory, this bird could have migrated despite its feathers. If this turned out to be the case, form and function might not be mutually exclusive for once.

Brazil: Peacock-Like Ancient Bird Species Tail Feathers Have Weird Implications