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Blog Birds
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White-shouldered starling
As its Japanese and scientific names suggest, this starling breeds in southern China and northern Vietnam, wintering in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and other locations. While it is a rare migratory bird with records nationwide, including Hokkaido, a small number overwinter annually on Ishigaki Island. True to its English name, the male has conspicuous white shoulder patches. The female, in contrast, is uniformly pale gray. Though rather plain in appearance, the contrast between the white and glossy black feathers when in flight is striking. Some visitors come to Ishigaki Island in winter specifically to see this, and I am one of…
- Birds
- Ishigaki Island
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Brown shrike
It is a subspecies of the Brown shrike known in Japan as the Shima Akamozu Lanius cristatus lucionensis. This subspecies of the Brown shrike migrates from eastern China and the Korean Peninsula to the Amami, Okinawa, and Yaeyama Islands as a winter visitor. Whereas the subspecies Lanius cristatus superciliosus, once seen throughout Japan, has reddish-brown upperparts, the subspecies Lanius cristatus lucionensis is considerably more greyish. The subspecies Lanius cristatus has declined dramatically over the last century, with the Honshū population predicted to become regionally extinct by 2026. Conservation efforts, led by the University of Human Environments, are underway. Meanwhile, this…
- Birds
- Ishigaki Island
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Purple heron
This heron breeds only in Japan's Yaeyama Islands, such as Ishigaki and Iriomote. It is named the Purple Heron due to its reddish-brown plumage tinged with purple on the neck and sides of the body. However, the subspecies found in Japan, Ardea purpurea manilensis, has a generally paler overall colouration with a more strongly greyish upperparts, leading me to wonder, upon first sight, why it is called purple? The Indonesian name Cangak Merah (Red Heron) seems to capture its characteristics more accurately. It has a wide global distribution, with four subspecies known. Although its broad range means it is not…
- Birds
- Ishigaki Island
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Iriomote tit
Once considered a subspecies of the varied tit commonly found throughout Japan, DNA analysis has now classified it as a distinct species, endemic solely to Ishigaki and Iriomote Islands. This has become one of the reasons European and American birdwatchers visit Ishigaki Island. Whereas the varied tit has a pale cream-coloured forehead, cheeks, and crown, the Iriomote tit displays an orange hue. Its wings should be olive-grey, as suggested by its scientific name olivaceus, though this is difficult to discern in the wild. The Japanese name “Orii” originates from Mr. Orii Hyōjirō, a collector…
- Birds
- Ishigaki Island
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Pied avocet
This wader is the one of most popular species, characterised by its upturned black beak tip and striking black-and-white plumage. It is an extremely rare migratory bird in Japan. It is also known as the symbol of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Britain's largest nature conservation organisation. This year, eight individuals overwintered on Ishigaki Island. According to guide Mr Kobayashi, they remained in the rice fields until year-end but have recently begun gathering in flocks along the coast. Whilst common winter visitors in Senegal where I lived, I had never seen them in such large groups, making…
- Birds
- Ishigaki Island
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Red-breasted flycatcher
This year, I once again enlisted the help of Mr Kobayashi, the wild bird guide from Ishigaki Island, to visit various observation points. He mentioned that this winter has seen a very low number of small birds, particularly thrushes. Nevertheless, I successfully spotted some rare small birds at the points he recommended. The red-breasted flycatcher, which is increasingly seen somewhere in Japan each year, though the numbers migrating here remain very low. Previously, there was a species called the red-breasted flycatcher, and it was thought there were two subspecies: the red-breasted flycatcher, Flycatcher, inhabiting Europe, and the Taiga flycatcher, migrating…
- Birds
- Ishigaki Island
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Daurian jackdaw
A small crow, about the size of a pigeon, it migrates to Japan as one of the few winter visitors. In the Izumi Plain, several individuals are often seen mixed within large flocks of rooks. Previously, it was thought there were two types: a pale morph with white from the back of the neck to the chest and belly, and a dark morph with a glossy black overall colour. Now, the pale morph is generally considered the adult, and the dark morph the juvenile. The first time I saw one, I was astonished by its sheer smallness. Standing alongside a…
- Birds
- Kagoshima
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Rook
The crow that breeds in northeastern China and migrates to Japan for the winter. Once rarely seen outside Kyushu, it is now observed nationwide, including Hokkaido. They often move in large flocks, sometimes numbering several hundred. In the Izumi Plain, they forage in farmland, and by evening, one can see them clustered like bells on power lines near residential areas. In Aesop's fable “The Crow and the Pitcher”, a crow appears that uses tools. The story describes a crow dropping pebbles one by one into a jug containing only a little water, raising the water level so it…
- Birds
- Kagoshima
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Black-faced spoonbill
It closely resembles the Eurasian spoonbill, but its black eye patch and the lack of a visible boundary between its eye and bill led to its English and Japanese names meaning 'black-faced'. Its population once dwindled to around 300 birds, bringing it to the brink of extinction. It primarily nests on the cliffs of islands along North Korea's west coast, but its numbers are said to have plummeted due to environmental destruction during the Korean War in the 1950s and pesticide use. It is now protected as a flagship species for wetland conservation along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and…
- Birds
- Kagoshima
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Eurasian spoonbill
The Eurasian spoonbill, characterised by its spoonbill-like beak. In Japan, small numbers migrate annually, primarily to Kyushu. In the Izumi Plain, they can be seen quite close by, such as along the roads of the East Reclamation Area, and are often photographed alongside large flocks of cranes. Though not classified as endangered, its breeding range in Europe is localised, leading to its listing under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). In Senegal, where I was based, small numbers migrate from Europe during winter. Research using GPS tags…
- Birds
- Kagoshima
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Hooded crane
Alongside the white-naped crane, this crane is a primary attraction drawing overseas birdwatchers to Japan. Breeding in south-central to south-eastern Siberia, nearly 10,000 individuals migrate to the Izumi Plain each year. With the global population estimated at 11,600 birds, this means almost 90% migrate to the Izumi Plain. While they now overwinter not only in the Izumi Plain but also in parts of Shikoku and the Chūgoku region, it is thought they once migrated to various parts of the country. During the Edo period, they were part of the “Three Birds and Two Fishes” delicacies, and it is said that…
- Birds
- Kagoshima
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White-naped crane
The white-crowned crane, designated as an endangered species, is one of the birds sought after by foreign birdwatchers visiting Japan. There are two main groups of white-naped cranes: the western group breeds in northeastern Mongolia and China's Hanyang Lake, wintering in the lower Yangtze River region; the eastern group breeds in the Amur River basin of China and Russia, wintering in central Korea, Japan, and particularly the Izumi Plain. The number migrating varies significantly from year to year in Japan, exceeding 3,000 birds in some years and dropping to around 200 in others. Reports indicate their numbers in central Korea…
- Birds
- Kagoshima