The Russet Sparrow is widely used in Asian art. It is found in parts of eastern Asia and in the Himalayas. In the Himalayas the Russet Sparrow breeds from the far northeast of India through southeastern Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh to Kashmir and Nuristan in Afghanistan. Here, the Russet Sparrow makes short movements to lower altitudes between November and April. In eastern Asia, the Russet Sparrow is found in Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, a small part of mainland Russia, Japan, southern Korea, and part of northern China, where it is mostly migratory. It is distributed through southern China and Taiwan, and the mountainous parts of Burma, southern Northeast India, Laos, and Vietnam, where it is mostly resident. The Russet Sparrow also occurs as a winter visitor in southern Japan, the further south of China, and northern Thailand. In eastern Asia, the autumn migration occurs between August and November. It eats seeds of herbs and grains, but it also eats berries and insects, particularly during the breeding season. While this diet makes it a minor pest in agricultural areas, it also makes it a predator of insect pests. The Russet Sparrow is known well enough in the Himalayas to have a distinct name in some languages. Render in Poser 2012 without postwork. Model credits: The Glen (Nerd3D/DAZ3D) and Sparrows of the World (Me/Hivewire3D).