Japanese Robin
Larvivora akahige
Small migratory songbird of mature forest with distinctive orange breast and dull brown upperparts. Sticks to undergrowth in both montane breeding grounds and lowland wintering grounds, though presence in the former may be given away by its loud song: a trill following a single introductory note. Forages on the ground and prefers to stick to shady areas. Occasionally found in parks and gardens on migration.
Identification
The Japanese robin is about 14-15 centimeters in size. This bird species is mainly gray and bright orange. The male Japanese robin is olive brown from the top of the head to rump, with an orange face and neck, and a grey breast and underside. Their tail is reddish-brown, their legs are pinkish brown, and they have a black bill. The female Japanese robin looks very similar to the male, but their orange and brown color characteristics are much duller and less extensive. The juvenile Japanese robin also looks very similar to the adult, but has dark spotting on the breast, pale rufous feathers from crown to mantle, and a rufus buff.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Larvivora akahige
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1835)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Larvivora
Range and habitat
The Japanese robin lives in natural habitats such as islands, lakes, mountains, and temperate forests. These habitats are abundant with species of small insects and plants that the Japanese robin eats. More specifically, this species lives in damp, dense, and shady areas such as undergrowth along valleys and streams. Many Japanese robins are located in broadleaf and deciduous forests throughout the Japanese islands of Honshu, Shikoku, Hokkaido and the Sakhalin Islands, and Yakushima, and during the winters in Southeast Asia.<p>The population of Japanese robins on the Izu Islands in southeastern Japan are so geographically remote that they are usually considered a distinguishable subspecies, L. akahige tanensis, from the mainland populations, L. akahige akahige, based on phenotypic characteristics, such as feather colouration. Additionally, while the mainland Japanese robin usually inhabits deciduous and mixed coniferous forests in the summer, the Izu Islands subspecies migrates to lowland, warm-temperature forests instead. Due to the distance between the two populations, gene flow between the two subspecies is rare and inbreeding within the Izu Islands populations is relatively common.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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