A small bird of Japanese woodland, grassland and fields. It has a thick bill and eats seeds of grasses and other plants.
The bill is thick and pale pinkish. Yellow bands on the wings and tail become conspicuous in flight.
In a 660-ha farmland area at about 400 m elevation in Nagano Prefecture, researchers observed Japanese Greenfinches during three breeding seasons from 1966 to 1968 and recorded 262 nests. Nest-building took about 14 days early in the season, before 5 April. After May began, some pairs finished in about four days. Early in spring the birds searched for seeds left from the previous year; later, new grass seeds became abundant.
Males attracted females with song and courtship postures and led them toward a nest tree. After pairing, the female chose the nest site and built the nest. The male stayed close and brought food to the incubating female. In 76.9% of these feeding events, he fed her outside the nest. Both parents fed the chicks. The nestling feeding period lasted 12 to 17 days, most often 14 to 15. Both parents continued bringing food for 7 to 10 days after the young left the nest, and a few pairs began a second brood.
IUCN Red List · Least Concern (LC) · Global
The global IUCN Red List assessment classifies the Oriental Greenfinch as Least Concern (LC).