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

On encountering the joys of birding, Jonathan Franzen author of the acclaimed novel The Corrections expressed, "I"m making up for lost time and spending the second half of my life as a bird-watcher." - http://clapway.com/2015/06/07/merlin-bird-photo-id-will-make-birding-even-more-accessible-123/

Birding enthusiasts young and old will get their use out of this one: Merlin Bird Photo ID is an app and program that will be able to help them identify 400 of the most frequently occurring birds of North America — with just a picture.

Bringing Birding to All

The birding community fully appreciates technology for being able keep track of their bird watching observations, travails, cliff notes on newly discovered species, audio clips of the sounds they make, etc.

Thanks to considerably detail-oriented researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and California Institute of Technology, the endeavor brings birdwatching to a new level of accessibility. Birdwatching is a hobby with a widely growing community of devout, passionate nature lovers. On encountering the joys of birding, Jonathan Franzen author of the acclaimed novel The Corrections expressed,  “I’m making up for lost time and spending the second half of my life as a bird-watcher.”

Birding is a hobby, but it is also very much a learned skill where the power of observation is your most valuable asset. Learning how to really observe is crucial for anyone who wants to improve in being able to identify birds. Richard Crossley describes this extensively in his famous birding identification books, known across the birding community as a first real-life approach to bird identification. He’s been birding since the age of 7.

Taken in Michigan with Richard Crossley during Cranefest.

How Merlin Bird Photo ID Works

Expert and casual birders will seek the Merlin Bird Photo ID app/program for its powerful artificial intelligence technology because of how accessible it is. This is how easily Merlin Bird Photo ID can be a part of your life:

1) The birder will upload photos.

2) The birder will draw a box around the bird in the photograph, then click its eye, beak and tail.

3) The birder will provide information on the location, date, and time.

4) The app/program will then identify the birds in your photographs.

The identification results will come in the form a list of best matches alongside the photos and the bird’s sound recording.

A Truly Collaborative Birding Project

Currently, the app/program is still in development. It is a collaborative sort of app in which the more users start using the app, the smarter it becomes at identifying different species. Prior to public use however, a countless hours have gone into teaching the artificial intelligence about each of the species via thousands of images labeled by expert birdwatchers. As it includes the sightings of 70 million passionate bird watchers (thank you, eBird.org‘s citizen-science project), this is truly a collaborative achievement.

At the moment, Merlin Bird Photo ID works only on computers. It will soon be available for mobile devices as developers upgrade the software. And birding is already such an accessible hobby; one where one only need step outside and open your eyes, ears and heart!

Photos by Brooklyn birder Mimi Hue.

Merlin Bird Photo ID Will Make Birding Even More Accessible