The Japanese robin (''Larvivora akahige'') is a small
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
bird in the family
Muscicapidae
The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia), with the exception of several vagrants and two species, Bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica)'' and North ...
. This species was formerly named ''Erithacus akahige'', or ''Komadori''. Its range extends from the south of the
Kuril and
Sakhalin Islands throughout
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
The name "Japanese robin" is also sometimes used for the
red-billed leiothrix (''Leiothrix lutea''). The specific name ''akahige'' is, somewhat confusingly, the common name of its relative ''
Larvivora komadori'' in Japanese.
The Japanese robin, together with the
Ryukyu robin
The Ryukyu robin (''Larvivora komadori'') is a bird endemic to the Ryūkyū Islands, of Japan. The Okinawa robin (''Larvivora namiyei'') previously was considered a subspecies.
The specific name ''komadori'' is, somewhat confusingly, the comm ...
and the
European robin
The European robin (''Erithacus rubecula''), known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in Great Britain & Ireland, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that belongs to the chat subfamily of the Old World flycatcher family. About in len ...
, was previously placed in the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial no ...
''
Erithacus
''Erithacus'' (Greek: "robin" (erithacos)) is a genus of passerine bird that contains a single extant species, the European robin ''(Erithacus rubecula)''. The Japanese robin and Ryukyu robin were also placed in this genus (as ''Erithacus akah ...
'' . A 2006
molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study found that the two east Asian species were more similar to the
Siberian blue robin, at the time in ''
Luscinia
''Luscinia '' is a genus of smallish passerine birds, containing the nightingales and relatives. Formerly classed as members of the thrush family Turdidae, they are now considered to be Old World flycatchers (Muscicapidae) of the chat subfamily ...
'', than to the European robin. In 2010 a large study confirmed this result and also found that ''Luscinia'' was
non-monophyletic. The genus ''
Larvivora
''Larvivora'' is a genus of small passerine birds belonging to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that occur in central and eastern Asia.
The seven species in this genus were all previously placed in other genera. A large molecular ph ...
'' was therefore resurrected to accommodate a
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
containing the Japanese robin, the Ryukyu robin, the Siberian blue robin and several other species that had previously been placed in ''Luscinia''.
Clements has separated the Izu robin, ''Larvivora tanensis'', into a distinct species.
Description
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
Rump may refer to:
* Rump (animal)
** Buttocks
* Rump steak, slightly different cuts of meat in Britain and America
* Rump kernel, software run in userspace that offers kernel functionality in NetBSD
Politics
* Rump cabinet
*Rump legislature
* R ...
, 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 fro
crownt
mantle and a rufus buff.
Habitat
The Japanese robin lives in natural habitats such as islands, lakes, mountains, and
temperate forest
A temperate forest is a forest found between the tropical and boreal regions, located in the temperate zone. It is the second largest biome on our planet, covering 25% of the world's forest area, only behind the boreal forest, which covers abo ...
s. 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
Undergrowth usually refers to the vegetation in the lower part of a forest, which can obstruct passage through the forest. The height of undergrowth is usually considered to be 0.3 – 3 m (1 – 9 ft.). Undergrowth can also refer to all ...
along valleys and streams. Many Japanese robins are located in
broadleaf and
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
forests throughout the Japanese islands of
Honshu
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separat ...
,
Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...
,
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The l ...
, and
Yakushima
, native_name_link =
, image_caption = Landsat image of Yakushima
, image_size =
, nickname =
, location = East China Sea
, coordinates =
, map = Japan#Japan Kagoshima Prefecture
, map_relief ...
, and during the winters in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
.
History
The Japanese robin is an
abundant species of robin from the islands of Japan. The Japanese robin, along with the
Ryukyu robin
The Ryukyu robin (''Larvivora komadori'') is a bird endemic to the Ryūkyū Islands, of Japan. The Okinawa robin (''Larvivora namiyei'') previously was considered a subspecies.
The specific name ''komadori'' is, somewhat confusingly, the comm ...
, can be traced back to 1835 when they were placed into one of the
Coenraad Jacob Temminck
Coenraad Jacob Temminck (; 31 March 1778 – 30 January 1858) was a Dutch aristocrat, zoologist and museum director.
Biography
Coenraad Jacob Temminck was born on 31 March 1778 in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic. From his father, Jacob Te ...
's works under the name ''Erithacus akahige''. After the 2006 molecular
phylogenetic
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
study, the species was placed into a
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
under ''
Larvivora
''Larvivora'' is a genus of small passerine birds belonging to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that occur in central and eastern Asia.
The seven species in this genus were all previously placed in other genera. A large molecular ph ...
,'' meaning "caterpillar eater," giving it half of its current scientific name.
Diet
The Japanese robin, as hinted by its scientific name meaning "caterpillar eater," is known for feeding on beetles, insects, milled worms, small crickets, fruits, and other small insects. Given their diet, they are considered
omnivorous
An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...
.
Reproduction
The Japanese robin
reproduces throughout May and June in
central Japan. Their nest typically consists of moss, twigs, dry leaves, ferns, and roots. When the female is ready, she lays about 3-5 eggs of greenish color, one egg per day, and
incubates them for roughly 2 weeks. Once born, the young chicks are
nurture
Nature versus nurture is a long-standing debate in biology and society about the balance between two competing factors which determine fate: genetics (nature) and environment (nurture). The alliterative expression "nature and nurture" in English h ...
d for a month, or 31 days, before they leave the nest and become independent. The robin does not mate for life and only finds a partner during the spring mating season.
Bird Song
The Japanese robin can be considered a small
songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 500 ...
; however, it has a single note that is extremely loud at first, but tones down throughout the song. The robin's call is similar to a telephone ring: well-spaced and simple phrases, along with short chattering. Females tend to sing during nest building and during the incubation period. Males will sing, but their
frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as ''temporal frequency'' for clarity, and is distinct from ''angular frequency''. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which is e ...
will drastically reduce once eggs have been laid.
References
External links
*
Recordings of the robin's song
{{Taxonbar, from=Q27075673
Japanese robin
Birds of Japan
Japanese robin