The Yellow-throated Bunting (Emberiza elegans) is a small passerine bird of the bunting family, measuring approximately 16 cm in length. While its overall plumage is dominated by subdued brown tones, adult males exhibit a vivid yellow throat and eyebrow stripe, sharply contrasted by black facial markings. Females are generally duller, with weaker yellow and reduced black patterning.
The species is distributed across temperate to subarctic regions of East Asia and breeds in southeastern Russia, northeastern China, and the Korean Peninsula. It migrates to Japan as a winter visitor, where it primarily overwinters from Honshu southward. During the wintering season, it inhabits satoyama landscapes, woodland edges, thickets, and bamboo groves, and is commonly observed foraging on the ground.
The Japanese name “Miyama,” meaning “deep mountain,” refers to its breeding behavior in remote mountainous regions away from human settlements, as well as its seasonal migration to Japan from distant areas.