Japanese Leaf Warbler

Phylloscopus xanthodryas

Small songbird, a member of the Arctic Warbler complex, this species looks essentially identical to Arctic Warbler and Kamchatka Leaf Warbler but is more evenly yellowish. Normally only distinguished in the field by breeding range and song: breeds in forests on all of the main Japanese islands except Hokkaido, where it is replaced in summer by Kamchatka Leaf Warbler. Favors foothill to montane areas with dense brushy understory; can be found in more open wooded habitats in migration and on wintering grounds. Song resembles that of Arctic in general pitch and register but is less uniform, like a more rising and falling version of Arctic’s song. Call also similar but averages lower in pitch.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Phylloscopus xanthodryas
Authority
(Swinhoe, 1863)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Phylloscopidae
Genus
Phylloscopus

Range and habitat

Breeding range
PAL : Honshu to Kyushu (c, s Japan)
Non-breeding range
Taiwan?, Philippines and n Indonesia
Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Wallcreeper

Wallcreeper

Tichodroma muraria

Unmistakable, but difficult to spot on rock faces. Spectacular in flight, with broad black, red, and white-spotted wings resembling a giant butterfly. Usually found on rock faces in high mountainous regions, but also breeds in steep gorges lower down and can even be found on tall buildings in winter. Breeding male has a black throat; winter males and all females have white throats. Rarely-heard song is a steadily rising whistle.

Five-colored Barbet

Five-colored Barbet

Capito quinticolor

Colorful barbet of lowland rainforest west of the Andes; scarce and declining in northwestern Ecuador, but more common in parts of southwestern Colombia. Male is black and yellow with red crown, white throat, and streaked flanks. Female is heavily spotted with black below, and has black and yellow streaking on head. Usually stays high in trees and often joins mixed-species flocks. Male sings a series of ten or more soft “boo” notes; he hunches over and looks like he’s retching while singing.

Ouvea Parakeet

Ouvea Parakeet

Eunymphicus uvaeensis

Spectacular, relatively large mostly green parakeet with a black face, slight bit of red on the forehead, and thin but prominent “horns” consisting of a crest made up of a pair of black feathers. Typically found in remnant patches of high-quality forest, but visits more disturbed habitat nearby, especially where fruiting trees are present. Found only on Ouvea Island off New Caledonia. Note distinctive voice: relatively low-pitched, nasal trumpeting notes, notably lower-pitched than the voice of Coconut Lorikeet.

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