The following five new species have been confirmed for Japan by banding research since the publication of Check-List of Japanese Birds, 5th Edition by Ornithological Society of Japan in 1974. These species should be included in Check-List of Japanese Birds, 6th Edition.
Collared Kingfisher Halycon chloris (photo 1); One individual, determined to be an adult, banded at mouth of Nagura River on Ishigaki Island, Yaeyama Island Group, Okinawa Prefecture on 19 October, 1975. Based on measurements and plumage patterns, this individual was considered to be subspecies collaris.
Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula (photo 2); Two individuals, determined to be adult males, were banded on Yonaguni Island, Yaeyama Island Group, Okinawa Prefecture on 14 March, 1993 and at Shirakami, Matsumae Town, Hokkaido on 7 April, 1996. The latter is the first record for Hokkaido. Based on measurements, plumage patterns, these individuals were considered to be subspecies mandarinus.
Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus (photo 4); One banded individual, crashed into a glass window and died on 29 October, 1981, at Fukuoka City in northern Kyushu. The band indicated that this was an adult of undetermined sex banded at Lithuanian Ringing Centre in southern Kamchatka on 15 September, 1981. The carcass was buried, so subspecies could not be confirmed, but from the distribution it could be assumed to be yakutensis. This is the first record of this species for Japan.
Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix (photo 5); One individual was banded at Tomakomai, south-central Hokkaido on 9 October, 1991.
Radde’s Warbler Phylloscopus schwarzi (photo 6, 7); One first winter individual of undetermined sex was banded in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan Sea side of northern Honshu on 17 October, 1985. Fifteen other bandings of this species have been recorded since then (Table 1).

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The subspecies on Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica gutturalis nests over a wide area of Asia, from the eastern Himalayas to the Pacific Seaboard, including Japan, Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands. In Japan, there are also several spots where Barn Swallows roost in number of 10,000 or more. These large numbers are thought to help guard againet predators, and also serve in exchange of information about feeding. Accurate estimates of the number of birds in a roost are important for both ecological research and conservation.
The research site is located near Lake Kahokugata in Ishikawa Prefecture, along the Japan Sea side of central Honshu (Fig. 1). The Barn Swallow roost occurs in a bed of reeds (Phragmites australis) along a water way leading into the lake (Fig. 1, 2). The research was conducted for autumn roosts, and swallows were counted just before sunset. The number of birds in the roost were estimated for 1997, 98 and 99 (Fig. 3). In 1997 the maximum number of swallow (30,000) was recorded on 29 August, and the roost disappeared around mid-September. In 1998, the roost first formed on 22 July, reached a maximum of 40,000 birds on 29 August. This roost consisted of two separate groups, of about equal size, that coalesced. This year the roost lasted until early October. In 1999, the roost reached 30,000 birds by 12 August, then maxed out at 60,000 on 26 August.
Research in 1998 showed that swallows spend the day feeding in the marshlands, then began collecting into large flocks just before sunset. The flocks then coalesce, and all of the swallows disappear into the roost in a matter of minutes (Fig. 4).
These results showed that the roosts at lake Kahokugata form in August, and disperse by September of a latest early October.

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Most of the shorebirds seen in Japan stop-over on their way back and forth between breeding and wintering grounds. Japan thus serves as a key resting point on their long migrations. In recent years, loss and degradation of wetlands has resulted in decreases in numbers for many shorebird species. The first step in protecting these species is to clarify their migration routes. Traditional metal leg-band research, however, relies on recoveries, and as such does not produce enough data to accurately pinpoint routes. Color marking, which can be confirmed by observation, holds great promise as a tool for shorebird research.
Color marking of shorebirds in Japan started in 1990, under the auspices of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, and over 200 observations were recorded for 1966. Since 1997 plastic leg flags in color schemes based on the Protocol for Colour Flagging of Migratory Shorebirds in the East Asian-Austoralasian Fly way, have been used in Japan. Leg flag marking is currently implemented at four banding stations: the Obitsu Estuary and the Yatsu Tidal Flats, both in Chiba Prefecture, and Komuke Lake and Furen Lake in Hokkaido.
The leg flags are made from plastic sheets, and the flags are welded on the legs using a battery-powered soldering iron. This device is quick, and eliminates the danger of injuring the bird. The leg flags are more durable than the plastic tape previously used in Japan, but still suffer from problems with color change and falling off, and further technical improvements are thus required. It should be taken notice that two flags system is likely to misunderstand if one flag fell off.

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