Top 20 Most Common Bird in Hokkaido

Hokkaido displays a rich range of diverse habitats, from hot springs to volcanic islands, hosting a stunning variety of bird species. The 20 most common birds exhibit unique adaptations, like the Blakiston's fish owl's remarkable fishing skills, or the striking white plumage of the Japanese crane. Each embodying Hokkaido's breathtaking biodiversity.

Most Common Bird

Japanese Tit

1. Japanese Tit

The japanese Tit is a large bird for its species, it is also extremely vocal with its loud chirps and song. While it can be seen in parks, it prefers wooded habitats. The songbird made headlines when researchers noticed the syntax in its calls. The bird will even respond to other species if they follow the alert call.
Brown-eared Bulbul

2. Brown-eared Bulbul

The brown-eared Bulbul’s loud cry isn’t the only trait that makes it easy to recognize in rural and suburban habitats. Along with its loud, shrill calls, the songbird has an undulating flight pattern, that makes it easy to distinguish from other species. The bird feeds primarily on insects but will also drink Camellia flower nectar, aiding in pollination.
Great Spotted Woodpecker

3. Great Spotted Woodpecker

The great Spotted Woodpecker is a fairly common species to find in the trees of its native woodlands. Populations in the colder portions of their range migrate while others stay put year-round. They drill into tree bark not only to access insects but also to build nests. The great Spotted Woodpecker is sometimes confused with the smallest European woodpecker, the lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor), though they are noticeably different in size.
Large-billed Crow

4. Large-billed Crow

The overall size (length: 46–59 cm; 18–23 in.) and body proportions vary regionally. In the far northeast in Japan, the Kuriles and the Sakhalin peninsula, it is somewhat larger than the carrion crow. All taxa have a relatively long bill with the upper one quite thick and arched, making it look heavy and almost raven-like. Generally, all taxa have dark greyish plumage from the back of the head, neck, shoulders and lower body. Their wings, tail, face, and throat are glossy black. The depth of the grey shading varies across its range.
Eurasian Nuthatch

5. Eurasian Nuthatch

The eurasian Nuthatch is a petite songbird common to deciduous forests. This species can often be seen nimbly hopping along branches and trunks - sometimes straight up or straight down - as it searches for insects. Like a woodpecker, it will peel away bark or drill into outer layers of wood.
Carrion Crow

6. Carrion Crow

The loud cry from the carrion Crow lets everyone know the bird is in the area. It is often seen in semi and open habitats that include rural and suburban areas. The black-colored bird only gathers in large flocks when it is time to roost. Otherwise, it flies in pairs or small groups scavenging for insects, seeds, and even small animals.
Marsh Tit

7. Marsh Tit

While it may be a plain-colored tit, the marsh Tit has a distinctive shrill call. The small bird prefers wooded areas but will visit gardens when bird feeders are present. The bird is even known to hoard seeds from feeders, burying them in the ground for a later date.
Grey Heron

8. Grey Heron

The grey Heron is a very common species to come across in marine, brackish, and freshwater ecosystems; these habitats must have at least four months of warm weather or else these birds will migrate for new breeding grounds. The grey Heron hunts by wading through shallow waters looking for fish and various invertebrates; their natural diet helps control some aquatic species populations.
Black Kite

9. Black Kite

Black Kite is a bird of prey known for its aerial skills and hunting ability. Its striking appearance makes it a fascinating species to observe, and it can often be seen soaring through the skies. Black Kite is highly adaptable and can be found in a variety of habitats, making it a common sight in many areas.
Indian Spot-billed Duck

10. Indian Spot-billed Duck

This duck is around the same size as a mallard and has a scaly patterned body with a green speculum bordered by white. At rest the white stripe stands out and the long neck and the bill with yellow tip and orange red spots at the base are distinctive in the nominate subspecies. The red spots at the base of the bills are absent in haringtoni. It measures 55–63 cm (22–25 in) in length and 83–95 cm (33–37 in) across the wings, with a body mass of 790–1,500 g (1.74–3.31 lb). These are mainly grey ducks with a paler head and neck and a black bill tipped bright yellow. The wings are whitish with black flight feathers below, and from above show a white-bordered green The male has a red spot on the base of the bill, which is absent or inconspicuous in the smaller but otherwise similar female. The male does not have an eclipse plumage. The legs and feet are bright orange to coral red. Juveniles are browner and duller than adults. The eastern spot-billed duck is darker and browner; its body plumage is more similar to the Pacific black duck. It lacks the red bill spot, and has a blue speculum. Both males and females undergo a complete post-breeding moult, dropping all their wing feathers simultaneously.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow

11. Eurasian Tree Sparrow

The eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) is a widespread sparrow of the European mainland that has been introduced to some parts of North America. Eurasian Tree Sparrow is very similar to the House sparrow (Passer domesticus) but it's smaller and neater. It prefers more natural habitats, at the edges of human activity, and inhabits farmlands, parklands, and open woods.
Grey-capped Greenfinch

12. Grey-capped Greenfinch

The grey-capped Greenfinch is a friendly bird that likes to twitter while flying. The finch is often seen in woodlands and its yellow feathers distinguish it from other species. The small songbird feeds on seeds, often found on the ground. However, it also eats insects and small invertebrates in the summer.
Mallard

13. Mallard

The mallard is the most abundant duck species in the world, and the ancestor of all domestic ducks. Only the female can produce the distinctive "quack" sound. When the female lays eggs, the male abandons its mate, while the protective mother stays with the ducklings for a long time. This migratory species inhabits shallow waters and it's one of the most popular game birds.
Black-faced Bunting

14. Black-faced Bunting

The black-faced bunting (Emberiza spodocephala) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name Emberiza is from Old German Embritz, a bunting. The specific spodocephala is from Ancient Greek spodos, "ashes", and kephalos, "headed". It breeds in southern Siberia across to northern China and northern Japan. It is migratory, wintering in north-east India, southern China and northern south-east Asia. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. The black-faced bunting breeds in dense undergrowth along streams and rivers in the taiga zone, and lays four or five eggs in a ground or tree nest. Its natural food consists of seeds, and when feeding young, insects. It winters close to water in agricultural or other open bushy habitats. This bird's general appearance and terrestrial feeding habits give the impression of a dunnock with a bunting's bill. It is similar in size to a reed bunting at about 16 cm long. The breeding male has a dark grey head with a mix of yellow green and black between the bill and eye. The upperparts are brown and heavily streaked with black, except on the rump. The rump is brown and the tail is also a dark brown. The underparts are yellowish white with some fine dark brown flank streaks. The stout bill is pink. Females and young birds have a weaker head pattern, with olive-grey cheeks and a weak creamy white supercilium. The underparts are creamy yellow heavily streaked with dark brown. The bird's call is like a tzii or tzee. It sound very "metallic" and it is a very short and not exactly a song at all. It nests on trees or on the ground and lays about four to five eggs.
Slaty-backed Gull

15. Slaty-backed Gull

The slaty-backed gull (Larus schistisagus) is a large, white-headed gull that breeds on the north-eastern coast of the Palearctic, but travels widely during nonbreeding seasons. It is similar in appearance to the western gull and the glaucous-winged gull. Another alternate name is Pacific gull, though this also applies to a Southern Hemisphere species, L. pacificus. Claims have been made as to its (sometimes occasional) presence throughout North America. as well as the eastern coast of temperate Asia (Palearctic). On 3 November 2012, an individual was spotted in Finland. The species has only been spotted three times before in Europe. This species is tied with the yellow-footed gull for fourth-largest gull species. This species measures 55–68.5 cm (21.7–27.0 in) in length, 132–160 cm (52–63 in) in wingspan, and 1.05–1.7 kg (2.3–3.7 lb) in weight. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 40 to 48 cm (16 to 19 in), the bill is 4.8 to 6.5 cm (1.9 to 2.6 in), and the tarsus is 6 to 7.6 cm (2.4 to 3.0 in). It has a white head, belly, and tail with a dark slaty-gray back and wings with a broad white trailing edge. The wings and back are slightly darker than those of the western gull. The undersides of the wings feature a "string of pearls" pattern along their edges; these can be seen from below when the bird is in flight. Its eyes are yellow. The legs are pink and short when compared with those of similar-looking gulls, and the body appears more stout. The bill is yellow with orange-red subterminal spot (the spot near the end of the bill that chicks peck to stimulate regurgitative feeding). Immature gulls' plumage is brown, similar to that of the great black-backed gull, but paler, and is practically indistinguishable from the immature herring gull in the field.
White Wagtail

16. White Wagtail

The white Wagtail is the national bird of Latvia and is featured in traditional folk songs and placed on some postage stamps. These birds can be found in most habitat types besides deserts. As their name suggests, they exhibit a characteristic tail-wagging behavior as they search along the ground and nearby waterways for insects to eat.
Oriental Turtle-dove

17. Oriental Turtle-dove

The oriental Turtle-dove is a migratory bird whose appearance can vary between subspecies. Individuals from higher latitudes migrate south over the winter months while those at lower latitudes do not migrate. The oriental Turtle-dove can be found in a large range of habitats, but usually prefers dense tree coverage. These birds mainly forage for seeds on the ground.
Dusky Thrush

18. Dusky Thrush

A vocal thrush with a wide variety of habitats, the dusky Thrush is seen in tundras, steppe lands, and subarctic forests (taigas). During the winter, the bird prefers open forests and fields. It is a vocal bird that delivers loud chattering in its calls and songs.
Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker

19. Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker

The japanese Pygmy Woodpecker is a small and lively bird, easily recognizable by its grey-brown crown and brownish-back feathers. This species is found in forests, parks, and gardens across Asia and inhabits a variety of wooded habitats. It feeds on insects, grubs, and sap from trees. Its rapid, chipping call and drumming behavior on trees make it a distinctive and familiar bird to many.
Coal Tit

20. Coal Tit

The coal Tit is an energetic tit with a wide geographical range. It is often seen in forests and is attracted to parks and gardens with seed-filled bird feeders. In the fall and winter, it is not uncommon to see the small tit mixed in with flocks of other types of birds. However, its high-pitched call separates it from other birds in a flock.
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