List of endemic birds of Japan

This article is one of a series providing information about endemism among birds in the world's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds.

Patterns of endemism

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Japan has no endemic families. It has one endemic genus: Apalopteron, which contains the Bonin white-eye.[1][2] The extinct Bonin grosbeak was formerly considered the only member of the genus Chaunoproctus, but taxonomic analysis supports it as being a basal member of the rosefinch genus Carpodacus.[3]

Endemic Bird Areas

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Birdlife International has defined the following Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) in Japan:

The following have been designated as secondary areas:

List of species

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The following is a list of bird species endemic to Japan:[1]

Resident endemics

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Common name Binomial Family Distribution Status Notes
Copper pheasant Syrmaticus soemmerringii Phasianidae Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku
 
Green pheasant Phasianus versicolor Phasianidae Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku
 
Introduced to Hawaii. National bird of Japan.
Japanese woodpecker Picus awokera Picidae Honshu and Kyushu
 
Okinawa woodpecker Dendrocopos noguchii Picidae Okinawa
 
Amami woodpecker Dendrocopos (leucotos) owstoni Picidae Amami Ōshima
 
Generally considered a subspecies of the white-backed woodpecker, but some consider it distinct.
Bonin wood pigeon Columba versicolor Columbidae Nakodo-jima and Chichi-jima in the Bonin Islands
 
Last seen in 1889.
Ryukyu wood pigeon Columba jouyi Columbidae Various islets throughout the Ryukyu Islands
 
Last reliably seen in 1936.
Ryukyu green pigeon Treron permagnus permagnus/medioximus Columbidae Permagnus: Yakushima, Amami-Oshima, Okinawa

Medioximus: Ishigaki, Iriomote, Yonaguni

 
Okinawa rail Gallirallus okinawae Rallidae Okinawa
 
Amami woodcock Scolopax mira Scolopacidae Amami Oshima, Okinawa and Tokunoshima
 
Lidth's jay Garrulus lidthi Corvidae Amami Ōshima and Tokunoshima
 
Ryukyu minivet Pericrocotus tegimae Campephagidae Formerly the Ryukyu Islands, though have recently self-colonized Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu
 
Owston's tit Sittiparus owstoni Paridae Miyakejima, Mikurajima and Hachijojima
 
Iriomote tit Sittiparus olivaceus Paridae Yaeyama Islands
 
Bonin thrush Zoothera terrestris Turdidae Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands
 
Last seen in 1828.
Izu thrush Turdus celaenops Turdidae Izu and Tokara Islands
 
Izu robin Larvivora (akahige) tanensis Muscicapidae Izu Islands
 
Generally considered a subspecies of the Japanese robin, but some consider it distinct.
Ryukyu robin Larvivora komadori Muscicapidae Tokara Islands, Tanegashima, Okinoerabujima, Tokunoshima
 
Okinawa robin Larvivora namiyei Muscicapidae Okinawa
 
Ryukyu flycatcher Ficedula owstoni Muscicapidae Ryukyu Islands
 
Bonin white-eye Apalopteron familiare Zosteropidae Hahajima formerly throughout Bonin
 
Bonin grosbeak Carpodacus ferreorostris Fringillidae Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands
 
Last reported in 1828.
Bonin greenfinch Chloris kittlitzi Fringillidae Hahajima and South Iwo Jima

Breeding endemics

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Common name Binomial Family Distribution Status Notes
Matsudaira's storm-petrel Oceanodroma matsudairae Hydrobatidae Volcano Islands (breeding), Indian Ocean (wintering)
 
Short-tailed albatross Phoebastria albatrus Diomedeidae Senkaku Islands, Muko-jima, and Tori-shima (breeding), broader Pacific Ocean (wintering). Extirpated as a breeder on most of the other Bonin Islands as well as the non-Japanese Marshall Islands. Also formerly bred on Bermuda in prehistoric times.
 
Bryan's shearwater Puffinus bryani Procellaridae Bonin Islands (breeding), Pacific Ocean around the Hawaiian Islands (wintering).
 
Bannerman's shearwater Puffinus bannermani Procellaridae Volcano Islands (breeding), Pacific Ocean around Ogasawara Group (wintering)
 
Ijima's leaf-warbler Phylloscopus ijimae Phylloscopidae Izu Islands and Tokara Islands (breeding), Honshu, Kyushu, Nansei-shoto, the Philippines, and Taiwan (wintering)
 
Japanese leaf warbler Phylloscopus xanthodryas Phylloscopidae All of Japan except Hokkaido (breeding), Taiwan and Southeast Asia (wintering)
 
Yellow bunting Emberiza sulphurata Emberizidae Northern Japan barring Hokkaido (breeding), southern Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines (wintering)
 

References

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  1. ^ a b "Japan Endemic Birds Checklist". lntreasures.com. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  2. ^ van Balen, Bas (2020-03-04). "Bonin White-eye (Apalopteron familiare)". Birds of the World.
  3. ^ Tietze, Dieter Thomas; Päckert, Martin; Martens, Jochen; Lehmann, Henriette; Sun, Yue-Hua (2013-09-01). "Complete phylogeny and historical biogeography of true rosefinches (Aves: Carpodacus)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 169 (1): 215–234. doi:10.1111/zoj.12057. ISSN 0024-4082.