Uguisu Bird

Uguisu bird is a tiny bird well known for its beautiful song. It is also known as Japanese Bush Warbler. These birds are found throughout Japan. Some populations are also found in Southern Russia, China and Taiwan.

Scientific Name Of Uguisu Bird: 

The scientific name of Japanese bush warbler or uguisu (in Japanese) is “Horonis diphone”.

Other Names Of Uguisu Bird: 

Some other names of uguisu bird are,

• Singing Bush Warbler
• Japanese Bush Warbler
• Oriental Bush Warbler

Common Name Of Japanese Bush Warbler: 

Common name of Japanese Bush Warbler is “Uguisu”.

Nickname Of Uguisu Bird: 

The nickname of uguisu is “Japanese Nightingale” because of its beautiful singing.

Scientific Classification Of Uguisu Bird: 

Scientific classification of uguisu bird is as follows,

1. Kingdom: Animalia
2. Phylum: Chordata
3. Class: Aves
4. Order: Passeriformes
5. Family: Cettidae
6. Genus: Horonis
7. Species: Horonis diphone/ Cettia diphone

Size Of Uguisu Bird: 

The average size of uguisu bird is 14 to 16.5 centimeters or 5.5 to 6.5 inches.

Weight Of Uguisu Bird: 

The average weight of uguisu bird is 15 to 22 grams.

Wingspan Of Uguisu Bird: 

The average wingspan of uguisu bird is 20 to 22 centimeters or 7.9 to 9 inches.

Top Speed Of Uguisu Bird: 

The top speed exhibited by uguisu bird is 18 mph.

Age Of Gender Maturity Of Uguisu Bird: 

Uguisu bird becomes genderly mature at the age of about 10 to 12 months.

Classification And Evolution Of Uguisu Bird: 

Uguisu bird is a small bird that can be found in Japan, Taiwan, China and other eastern countries. The uguisu bird is called as Japanese Bush Warbler because of its distinguishable beautiful song.

It can fall in the category of other singing birds i.e. Nightingales and Bushtits. They all are closely related and have similar appearance. The difference is slight larger size of uguisu.

It is also awarded with the nickname of Japanese Nightingale because of the extreme beauty of its song. It is important to note that uguisu can’t sing at night.

Heinrich Kittlitz describes uguisu as documented specie for the very first time in 1830.

Distribution And Habitat Of Uguisu Bird: 

The uguisu bird can be found in Japan throughout the year. It is native to Korea, China, Taiwan and Southern Russia. They can also be found in northern Philippines.

When it comes to mountain regions then they are found at diverse heights i.e. high in the mountain woods and lowland hills. During winter, these birds migrate down the slopes. Uguisu bird is also found in bamboo thickets and seasonal woods  having plenty of food and enough foliage to hide.

Physical Description Of Uguisu Bird: 

Uguisu bird is small in size. It is known for its dull colour in comparison with its distinguishable and beautiful song.

The wings and tail are light brown or olive green in colour at the tip. They exhibit darker plumages. The colour of plumages varies with respect to subspecies and local populations. Lower parts of the body are beige (pale sandy fawn colur/ coffee coloured).

They have large sized tails that have straight feathers. This feature makes them similar to Bushtits (long tailed tits). As they are included in the species of small perching birds, they exhibit long clawed toes and thin legs. This feature helps them gripping on to the branches.

They have small eyes that have dark colouration with pale stripes. Their beak is tan coloured.

Anatomy Of Uguisu Bird: 

Several anatomical features of uguisu bird are,

Wings and Tail: 

Uguisu birds have dark shaded plumages. The tips of wings and tail are olive green in colour.

Eyes: 

The eyes are small and black in colour with pale coloured stripes.

Beak: 

The beak is straight and tan coloured. It gives curved up appearance so that the bird looks like smiling.

Tail: 

The tail is large in size having straight feathers which make them similar to Bushtits.

Legs and Toes: 

The thin legs and long clawed toes help in grabbing the trees with ease.

Behavior Of Uguisu Bird: 

The uguisu bird is a solitary bird. These birds interact with each other only during breeding seasons. During breeding season i.e. spring, these birds exhibit beautiful and attractive singing to attract their mates. On the other hand during non breeding seasons i.e. winter, they mostly remain quiet. They are mostly heard and rarely seen because of their solitary behavior.

The uguisu birds also exhibit migration in some areas with changing seasons. They exhibit migration mostly in winter to escape from cold mountains. They migrate on the large Japanese Island of Hokkaido. They can be found in Central Japan, mountain Tsukuba throughout the year.

Lifestyle Of Uguisu Bird: 

Lifestyle of uguisu bird is “diurnal”. These birds go in search of food during day time and roost at night.

Reproduction And Life Cycles Of Uguisu Bird: 

The breeding season of uguisu bird begins in spring. The males start singing melodious and beautiful songs to attract females. Both the male and female are quite similar in size like Nightingales but females are slightly smaller than males.

Nest: 

The task of formation of nest is done by female. The nest is rugby ball shaped having one opening on the side. The nest is made by bamboo grass. Dead leaves are used for this purpose. The location of nests is in the low places inside the bushes.

Eggs:

Female lays 4 to 6 eggs. They are chocolate brown coloured. The incubation period is about 15 days. After hatching, the parents take care of their chicks for about 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, the chicks will be able to walk and feed by their own.

Diet And Prey Of Uguisu Bird: 

Uguisu birds are omnivores. They eat plants as well as animals. Their diet is similar to other song birds. They feed on several insects like worms, flied, moths, beetles and grasshoppers. They can also eat some fruits including berries.

During winter, the reason of migration to the lowlands is unavailability of food. That’s why they migrate to lowlands having plenty of food.

Predation And Threats To Uguisu Bird: 

Uguisu birds exhibit strong, attractive and beautiful songs that can be heard from far distances but they cannot be seen from far distances because of their dull colouration. That’s why it is difficult for the predators to spoitify them.

Some predators that manage to find them include feral dogs and cats, lizards and snakes. The most dangerous threat to these birds is habitat loss because of excessive cutting of forests by people to make new towns and cities.

Relationship Between Uguisu Birds And Humans: 

Uguisu bird has been represented in the fields of art and poetry because of its distinctive beautiful song. The fact that they are always confined to cages and have a miserable life also make them representable in art and poetry.

They are now more commonly caged because of their guano (skin enhancer). The population of uguisu is declining because of human settlements and clearance of lands for agriculture.

Conservation Status Of Uguisu Bird: 

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classified uguisu bird as “Least concern”. These birds are found in variety of countries and habitats. That’s why they are widespread. Their population is quite stable. They are also farmed in Japan because of their guano to be used in different types of creams.

Some Facts Of Uguisu Bird: 

Uguisu bird is a small bird known as Japanese Bush Warbler.

1. They prey on insects, worms, berries.
2. Name of young uguisu is “Chick”.
3. Their group behavior is solitary.
4. They have stable population.
5. Their biggest threat is habitat loss.
6. Their most distinctive feature is pale coloured lines above their eyes.
7. The wingspan of uguisu is 20 to 22 centimeters.
8. Incubation period is 15 days.
9. They are omnivores.
10. They have diurnal lifestyle.
11. The beautiful song exhibited by these birds can be used to attract mates as well as for the declaration of territory.
12. The droppings (guano) of these birds are used in several face creams. This has now become a commercial product.
13. The uguisu bird is a sign of arrival of spring in Japan. That’s why they are also called as “Hanami bird” and “Spring bird”.
14. These birds were documented by Heinrich Von Kittlitz in 1830 for the first time.
15. Although they can’t sing at night but they are called as Nightingales because of their beautiful song.
16. They are related to other singing birds including Nightingales and Bushtits.

Lifespan Of Uguisu Bird:

The average lifespan of uguisu bird is 2 to 5 years.

Conclusion: 

Uguisu bird is the most fascinating and enchanting bird that is well known for its beautiful song. They are native to Japan, China and Taiwan. They have solitary life style and exhibit migration in winter to find accessible food. They are unique birds because they indicate the arrival of spring.