Abstract
The Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program in Japan was conducted in deciduous broad-leaved forest of Experimental Forest of Hokkaido Research Center, FFPRI (42°59′N, 141°23′E, Alt. 180-210 m) in the breeding season of 2013 and 2014. Two male, three female, and eight juvenile Grey Buntings were captured during the survey. Both males had the remarkable cloaca protuberance. One male and three females showed apparent brood patches, and all juveniles appeared to have just fledged on the basis of the plumage. Since we sometimes heard songs of the buntings near the study site during the breeding season, the breeding probability of the bunting was confirmed by the existence of such external breeding characters, although an active nest was not found. MAPS in Japan is a useful method to not only evaluate the trend of long-term population changes but also obtain supplemental information on new breeding localities of some birds by detailed observation of captured birds.
