The Blue Rock Thrush heralding the arrival of spring

　As the weather in Kyoto has begun to warm up, the complex melodies of the blue rock thrush—sounding something like ‘chee-chur-rur’—can now be heard at dawn and dusk.

　Although, as its name suggests, this bird naturally inhabits rocky shores, since the 2000s it has begun to breed in the urban areas of Kyoto City and has now become a common sight in the city. 

　In Europe, they are commonly seen on rocky slopes and cliffs along the Mediterranean coast. Recently, however, they have made significant inroads into urban areas, reportedly nesting on high-rise buildings, construction sites and rooftops. That said, they are not found in northern Europe and are a very rare sight there. Ten years ago, in a residential area of the Cotswolds in central England, a resident discovered a blue bird they had never seen before pecking for food in their garden. When they posted a photo online asking what kind of bird it was, it turned out to be a blue rock thrush—the first sighting in ten years—and hundreds of birdwatchers reportedly flocked to catch a glimpse.

　Meanwhile, in Japan, it has become a bird that can be seen almost anywhere, and in Kyoto, it is increasingly becoming the bird that heralds the arrival of spring, rather than the Japanese bush warbler, one of the country’s three most beautiful songbirds.