Passeriformes / Bombycillidae / Bombycilla
Japanese Waxwing
Bombycilla japonica · 小太平鸟
Introduction
A fairly small passerine in the waxwing family found in the eastern Palaearctic. It breeds south of the related Bohemian waxwing but overlaps extensively with it in winter. Feeds mainly on fruit and berries, eating insects during summer. Listed by IUCN as Near Threatened due to loss and degradation of preferred forest habitat.
Description
Length 15–18 cm; weight 54–64 g. Plumage is mostly pinkish-brown with a pointed crest, black throat, black eye stripe, pale yellow belly centre, grey rump, rusty-red undertail coverts, and dark grey tail with a black-bordered red tip. Wings show black, grey, and white patterns with a diffuse reddish-brown bar across greater coverts. Males have red tips on secondary wing feathers.
Identification
Males distinguished from Bohemian waxwing by red tips on secondary wing feathers (absent in females) and lack of 'teardrop' shape. Bohemian waxwings are slightly larger with more prominent waxy tips, yellow tail-tip, greyish belly centre, and no reddish-brown wing bar. Call is a high-pitched trill; no true song.
Distribution & Habitat
Breeds in dense coniferous forests in Russian Far East (Amur basin, northern Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin) and northeastern China (Manchuria, Heilongjiang). Migrates south to winter in Japan, Korean Peninsula, eastern China, and Taiwan. In Japan, present November to April, outnumbering Bohemian waxwings in southwestern regions. Winter habitat includes open woodland, farmland, and low mountains. Vagrants recorded in Hong Kong and Central China.
Behavior & Ecology
Feeds mainly on fruit and berries, consuming insects in summer. Nests in trees using a cup of twigs lined with grass and moss. Often occurs in mixed flocks with Bohemian waxwings. Distribution is irregular as birds move in search of seasonal food sources.
Conservation
Listed by IUCN as Near Threatened due to loss and degradation of preferred forest habitat.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Bombycillidae
- Genus
- Bombycilla
Distribution
breeds southeastern Siberia and northern Manchuria; winters to southern China and Ryukyu Islands (southern Japan)
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
