Birds found during 
Focus On Nature Tours

on the Japanese island 
of Okinawa

1996 thru 2014

(noting months when found)

A list of Okinawa Birds 
compiled by Armas Hill

PHOTO AT RIGHT: An OKINAWA RAIL,
a species not known to science until 1982.

 
135 species of birds have been found during FONT tours in Okinawa & pelagically in nearby waters.


Codes:

(t): a globally threatened or rare species, designated by Birdlife International.
(t1): critical
(t2): endangered
(t3): vulnerable
(nt): considered a near-threatened species globally

(JPr): rare in Japan
(JPrs): rare in Japan in spring/summer
(JPrw): rare in Japan in winter

(OKr): rare on Okinawa

(JPe):  Japanese endemic
(JPeb):  endemic breeder in Japan
(JPneb):  near-endemic breeder in Japan

(OKe): Okinawa endemic 

(JPi):  introduced species in Japan

(p): seen pelagically, from the offshore ferry north from Okinawa to & between the other Ryukyu Islands of Yoronoto, Okinoerabujima, & Tokunoshima  (islands south to north)
(po): pelagic only

(ph);  species with a photo in the FONT web-site

A booklet is available from Focus On Nature Tours listing all the birds that have been found during over a decade of FONT tours in Japan, with more information than given here, noting, for example, the Japanese islands where, and the months when, sightings have occurred. Please e-mail us if you'd like to receive a copy.    

In the following list, months when the birds have been seen are indicated


Links:

Upcoming FONT Birding & Nature Tours in Japan

Cumulative List of Birds found during FONT Tours in Japan  (with photos)

List of Mammals found during FONT Tours in Japan

Directory of Photos in this Website






Birds: 

1. Bulwer's Petrel ______  may  (po)
   
   

2. Streaked Shearwater ______  may  (po)
   
   

3. Short-tailed Shearwater ______  may  (po)
   
   

4. Sooty Shearwater ______  may  (po)
   
   

5. Swinhoe's Storm Petrel ______  may  (po)
   
   

6. Little Grebe  ______  jan,feb
   
   

7. Brown Booby ______  may  (po) 
   
   

8. Japanese (or Temminck’s) Cormorant  ______  jan,feb (p)
   
   

9. Black-crowned Night Heron  ______  jan,may,nov
   
   

10. “Eastern” Cattle Egret  ______  jan,feb,may,jul
    
    

11. Little Egret  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

12. Yellow-billed (or Intermediate) Egret  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

13. Great Egret  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

14. Grey Heron  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

15. Striated Heron  ______  feb,may,nov
    
    

16. Pacific (or Eastern) Reef Heron  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

17. Cinnamon (or Chestnut) Bittern  ______  jan,feb,may,nov
    
    

18. Yellow (or Chinese Little) Bittern ______  nov
    
    

19. Eurasian Spoonbill (JPr)  ______  feb,nov
    
    

20. Black-faced Spoonbill (t2) (JPr)  ______  jan,feb,nov
    
    

21. Mandarin Duck (nt)  ______  nov
    
    

22. Eurasian Teal  ______  jan,feb,nov
    
    

23. Gadwall  ______  jan
    
    

24. Mallard  ______  jan,feb
    
    

25. Eastern Spot-billed Duck  ______  may,nov
    
    

26. Northern Pintail   ______  jan,feb,may
    
    

27. Northern Shoveler   ______  feb,nov
    
    

28. Common Pochard   ______  jan
    
    

29. Tufted Duck  ______  jan
    
    

30. Black (-eared) Kite  ______  jan
    
    

31. Osprey  ______  jan,feb,may,jul
    
    

32. Northern Goshawk  ______  jan
    
    

33. Eurasian Sparrowhawk  ______  jan
    
    

34. Japanese Sparrowhawk   ______  jan,feb,may,nov
    
    

35. Grey-faced Buzzard  ______  jan,feb,nov
    
    

36. Common Kestrel  ______  jan,feb,nov
    
    

37. Peregrine Falcon  ______  jan,feb,nov
    
    

38. Okinawa Rail (t2) (JPe) ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

39. Ruddy-breasted Crake  ______  jan,may
    
    

40. Baillon’s Crake  ______  jan
    
    

41. White-breasted Waterhen ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

42. Common Moorhen  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

43. Greater Painted Snipe ______  jan,feb,may
    
    

44. Pheasant-tailed Jacana (JPr) ______  nov
    
    

45. Black-winged Stilt  ______  jan,may
    
    

46. Pied Avocet (JPr)  ______  jan
    
    

47. Little Ringed Plover  ______  jan,feb,may,nov
    
    

48. Kentish Plover  ______  jan,feb
    
    

49. Lesser Sand Plover  ______  jan,feb  (has been called Mongolian Plover)  
    
          

50. Pacific Golden Plover ______  jan,feb,may,nov
    
    

51. Grey (or Black-bellied) Plover ______  jan,feb
    
    

52. Grey-headed Lapwing (nt)  ______  feb
    
    

53. Northern Lapwing  ______  jan
    
    

54. Red-necked Stint  ______  jan,feb
    
    

55. Temminck’s Stint  ______  feb
    
    

56. Long-toed Stint  ______  jan,feb
    
    

57. Ruff / Reeve  ______  jan,nov
    
    

58. Dunlin  ______  jan,feb
    
    

59. Ruddy Turnstone  ______  jan,feb.may
    
    

60. Eurasian Woodcock   ______  jan,nov
    
    

61. Amami Woodcock (t3) (JPe)   ______  jan,feb,nov
    
    

62. Common Snipe  ______  jan,feb,nov
    
    

63. Pintail Snipe (JPr)  ______  jan,feb,nov
    
    

64. Swinhoe’s Snipe (JPr)  ______  jan,feb,nov
    
    

65. Spotted Redshank (JPrw)  ______  jan
    
    

66. Common Redshank (JPr)  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

67. Common Greenshank  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

68. Marsh Sandpiper  ______  jan,may,nov
    
    

69. Green Sandpiper  ______  jan,feb,may,nov
    
    

70. Wood Sandpiper  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

71. Terek Sandpiper ______  may,jul
    
    

72. Grey-tailed (or Polynesian) Tattler ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

73. Common Sandpiper  ______  jan,feb,may
    
    

74. Black-tailed Godwit  ______  may
    
    

75. Bar-tailed Godwit  ______  jan,feb,may
    
    

76. Eurasian Curlew  ______  jan,feb
    
    

77. Eastern Curlew (nt)  ______  jan,feb  
                (has been called Far Eastern Curlew)
    
    

78. "Eurasian” Whimbrel  ______  jan,may,jul,nov
    
    

79. Saunder’s Gull (t2) (JPr)  ______  jan,feb,nov
    
    

80. Common Black-headed Gull ______  jan,feb
    
    

81. Black-tailed (or Japanese) Gull (JPneb)  ______  jan,feb
    
    

82. Gull-billed Tern (JPr)  ______  nov
    
    

83. Black-naped Tern  ______  may,jul
    
    

84. Roseate Tern (nt)  ______  may  
    
    

85. Little Tern ______  may,jul
    
    

86. Whiskered Tern (JPr) ______  jan,nov
    
    

87. Common (or Feral) Pigeon (JPi) ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

88. Oriental Turtle Dove  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
    
    

89. Whistling Green Pigeon (nt)  ______  jan,feb,may,jul
    
    

90. Japanese (or Black) Wood Pigeon (nt) (J:neb)  ______  jan,feb,may,nov
    
    

91. Lesser Cuckoo  ______  may  
    
    

92. Japanese Scops-Owl  ______  jan
                (was part of Collared Scops-Owl)
    
    

93. Oriental Scops-Owl  ______  may
    
    

94. Ryukyu Scops-Owl (JPneb)   ______  jan,feb,may,nov
    
    

95. Brown (or Oriental) Hawk-Owl ______  jan,may,nov
    
    

96. White-throated (or Northern) Needletail   ______  may
    
    

97. Fork-tailed Swift   ______  may,jul
    
    

98. Ruddy Kingfisher ______  may,jul
    
    

99. Common Kingfisher  ______  jan,feb,may,jul
    
    

100. Okinawa (or Pryer’s) Woodpecker (t1) (JPe) ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
     
     

101. Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker ______  jan,feb,may,nov
     
     

102. Barn Swallow   ______  jan,feb,may
     
     

103. Pacific Swallow  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
     
     

104. Asian House Martin ______  jan,feb
     
     

105. “Siberian” Buff-bellied Pipit ______  jan  
                 (was part of Water Pipit)  
     
     

106. Grey Wagtail  ______  jan,feb,nov
     
     

107. White Wagtail
                 (subspecies lugens: was Black-backed W.) ______ jan,feb,nov
                 (subspecies leucopsis)   ______  feb
     
     

108. Japanese Wagtail (JPe) (OKr)  ______  jan
     
     

109. Brown-eared Bulbul (J:neb)  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
     
     

110. Light-vented Bulbul ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
     
     

111. Ryukyu Minivet (JPe) ______  jan,feb,may,nov
     
     

112. Ryukyu Robin (nt) (JPe)  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
     
     

113. Daurian Redstart   ______  jan,feb,nov  
     
     

114. Red-flanked Bluetail  ______ jan 
     (also called Siberian Bluechat, or Orange-flanked Bush-Robin)
     
     

115. Blue Rock Thrush (red-bellied form)  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
     
     

116. Brown-headed Thrush (JPneb)   ______  jan
     
     

117. Pale Thrush   ______  jan,feb,nov
     
     

118. Dusky Thrush   ______  jan,feb,nov
     
     

119. Japanese Bush Warbler  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
     
     

120. Zitting Cisticola   ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov  
     (was called Fan-tailed Warbler)  
     
     

121. Ryukyu Flycatcher (t2) (JAe)  ______  jan,feb  
                 (has been part of Narcissus Flycatcher, resident in Nansei Shoto)
     
     

122. Japanese Paradise Flycatcher (nt)  ______  may
     
     

123. Varied Tit (JPneb)  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
     
     

124. Great Tit   ______  jan,feb,may,nov
     
     

125. Japanese White-eye  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
     
     

126. Brown Shrike (JPrw)  ______  jan
     
     

127. Large-billed Crow  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
     
     

128. Common Starling (JPr)  ______  jan,feb
     
     

129. White-cheeked (or Grey) Starling (OKr)  ______  jan,feb,may
     
     

130. White-shouldered (or Grey-backed) Starling (JPr)  ______  jan,feb
     
     

131. Red-billed (or Silky) Starling (nt) (JPr)  ______  feb
     
     

132. Eurasian Tree Sparrow  ______  jan,feb,may,jul,nov
     
     

133. Scaly-breasted (or Spotted) Munia (JPi)  ______  jan,feb,may,nov  
                 (also called Nutmeg Mannikin)
     
     

134. Eurasian Siskin ______  jan
     
     

135. Grey Bunting   ______  feb