Hello everyone! Today, I’d like to talk about an interesting bird. Have you ever heard of the “Japanese robin,” one of Japan’s three famed songbirds along with the bush warbler and the blue-and-white flycatcher? This bird is small and absolutely adorable.
The Japanese robin is a small bird, about 13.5 to 14 cm in length, similar in size to a sparrow. The male Japanese robin features a vibrant orange color from its head to its throat, with a gradient of gray to white from its chest to its belly. The females have a slightly more subdued color palette, but they are still very cute. Especially captivating is their behavior of spreading and lifting their tail feathers when they sing!
These birds inhabit Japan’s alpine regions. They love lush areas such as subalpine valleys and forest roads, often living along mountain streams. During the migration seasons of spring and autumn, you might even spot them in urban parks or thickets in residential areas.
The Japanese robin has an insectivorous diet, feeding on insects. During the breeding season, they search for insects on low shrubs or the ground, perching on fallen logs or branches and singing loudly. In the Edo period, people often kept them to enjoy their beautiful songs. There were even trained robins called “tefuri-koma” that would sing when a hand was waved. It seems that even people of the past were completely captivated by the charm of the Japanese robin.
If you get a chance to go hiking, try to listen carefully. You might hear the song of the Japanese robin. It could lead to a delightful encounter! See you next time.
