- Japanese Waxwing
Taxobox
name = Japanese Waxwing
status = NT | status_system = IUCN3.1
image_width = 240px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo =Passeriformes
familia =Bombycillidae
genus = "Bombycilla "
species = "B. japonica"
binomial = "Bombycilla japonica"
binomial_authority = (Siebold,1824 )The Japanese Waxwing ("Bombycilla japonica") is a fairly small
passerine bird of thewaxwing family found in north-eastAsia . It feeds mainly on fruit and berries but also eats some insects during the summer. The nest is a cup of twigs lined with grass and moss which is built in a tree.Description
The bird is about 18 cm in length and its plumage is mostly pinkish-brown. It has a pointed crest, a black throat, a black stripe through the eye, a pale yellow centre to the belly and a black tail with a red tip. The wings have a pattern of black, grey and white with a reddish-brown stripe running across them. The call is a high-pitched trill but there is no true song.
Unlike the other species of waxwing, it lacks the row of waxy red feather-tips on the wing which gives the birds their name. Japanese Waxwings often occur in mixed flocks with
Bohemian Waxwing s which, as well as having the row of waxy tips, are slightly larger with a yellow tail-tip, greyish centre to the belly and no reddish-brown stripe across the wing.Distribution and habitat
The Japanese Waxwing breeds in coniferous forests in the
Russian Far East and inHeilongjiang province, north-eastChina . It is at some risk of becoming threatened withextinction due to loss and degradation of its forest habitat.It winters in
Japan ,Korea and eastern China; the exact distribution is irregular as flocks move in search of berries and birds may be common in an area one year and scarce the next. In Japan it is present from November to April; few birds winter onHokkaidō but in south-western Japan, it outnumbers the Bohemian Waxwing. The winter habitat is open woodland or farmland in the lowlands or low mountains and birds frequently visit berry-laden trees in parks and gardens.Vagrant birds appear in
Hong Kong , central China andTaiwan but records fromEurope are more likely to be escapes from captivity than genuinely wild birds.References
* Database entry includes justification for why this species is considered Near-Threatened.
*Mark A. Brazil (1991) "The Birds of Japan", Christopher Helm, London
*John MacKinnon & Karen Phillipps (2000) "A Field Guide to the Birds of China", Oxford University Press, OxfordExternal links
* [http://midopika.cool.ne.jp/songs_e/hiren.html Bird Songs in Japan] , Calls of the Japanese Waxwing
* [http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/search2.cgi?species=Japanese%20Waxwing Surfbirds] , Photos of the Japanese Waxwing, including a bird in the Netherlands
* [http://www.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=5698 Internet Bird Collection] , Video of Japanese Waxwing
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