The Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) is a small passerine of the family Emberizidae, measuring approximately 18 cm in length. It breeds across northern Eurasia and migrates southward for the winter. In Japan, it breeds in Hokkaido and northern Honshu, inhabiting coastal and riverside grasslands, pastures, and wetlands around rivers and lakes. From autumn through winter, it often forms small flocks of several to a dozen birds.
Its diet is omnivorous, including seeds and insects. The species is known for perching vertically on reed stems and peeling away the outer layers to extract insects hidden inside. This behavior is characteristic of small birds inhabiting reed beds, and the Reed Bunting has become a symbolic representative of these habitats.