For the nominate subspecies described in the Ehime account, chestnut ear patches and bands across the breast are distinctive. It breeds in Japanese grassland and uses grassy riverbanks and rice-field areas in Ehime during winter.
The nominate subspecies has a blue-gray forehead to nape with black streaks, chestnut ear patches, and black and chestnut bands on the breast.
A Figshare nest dataset contains 19 Chestnut-eared Bunting records from Liuzhi, a karst region of Guizhou, China, spanning 2020–2025. It records one Asian Emerald Cuckoo egg in 2024 and one Common Cuckoo egg in 2025. Two cuckoo species therefore appear in nest records from the same local bunting area.
In a separate test, researchers placed white model eggs in 11 nests, and the parent birds removed every model with their beaks. All were rejected within three days. The dataset includes both parasitism observations and model-egg responses, linking field nest records with tests of egg recognition.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Liuzhi records include cuckoo parasitism in 2024 and 2025, while all 11 model eggs were rejected. Continuing to record nest locations, cuckoo species and host responses during the breeding season can provide a basis for comparing local breeding patterns over time.