During Oct. 6-23, 1970, bird survey was made by line transect-, car- and boat censuses in the Ryu Kyu Is. The party was sent by the Ministry of Wellfare of Japan and included botanical and coral reef surveys particularly of Iriomote I. Bird census was made 11 days on Iriomote I., 4 days on Ishigaki I. and 2 days on Okinawa I. and results are presented by 14 tables classified by habitat and categories such as resident land or winter water birds, etc. In all 81 species were recorded.
Among resident land birds, the bulbul
Hypsipetes amaurotis was most abundant (No. recorded 258 birds), followed by the white-eye
Zosterops palpebrosa (105 bds), the turtle dove
Streptopelia orientalis (98 bds), the great tit
Parus major (87 bds), the jungle crow
Corvus macrorhynchos (85 bds), the tree sparrow
Passer montanus (44 bds., very scarce on Iriomote), the varied tit
Parus varius (38 bds), the minivet
Pericrocotus roseus (36 bds), the fantail warbler
Cisticola juncidis (27 bds), the green pigeon
Sphenurus sieboldi, the rock thrush
Monticola solitaria (13 bds) and the wood pigeon
Columba janthina (9 bds), ect. (25 species in all). Thus the bulbul occupied 30% (the next white-eye 12%) of resident land birds counted.
The migration of northern land birds was still in early stage, only 9 species having been recorded, among which the swallow
Hirundo rustica was most abundant (741 bds). Other marked species was the buzzard hawk
Butastur indicus (199 bds) which was observed in scattered soaring flocks steadily migrating southward over Iriomote and Ishigaki Is. and a few tired birds were seen landed on the islands. The next was the red-cheeked myna
Sturnus philippensis (145 bds) which is also a regular passage migrant along the Ryukyus and rare Chinese myna
St. sinensis (16 bds) was found mixed in its flock.
Muscicapa griseisticta (20 bds) and single dirds of
Urosphena squameiceps, Eophona migratoria and
Cuculus saturatus, etc. were recorded.
Some early land winter visitors were just on their arrival, 7 species in all, of which the grey wagtail
Motacilla cinerea (90 bds) outnumbered others, which were pipits
Anthus (10 bds), the white wagtail
M. alba (8 bds), the Philippine red-tailed shrike
Lanius cristatus lucionensis (7 bds), single birds of yellow wagtail
M. flava subsp., Siberian bluetail
Erithacus cyanurus and the ksestrel
Falco tinnunculus.
Resident water, water-side and wading birds were following ten species:
Charadrius alexandrinus (81 bds),
Egretta sacra (62 bds., with 64.5% white phase),
Gallinula chloropus (48 bds., mainly Ishigaki),
Anas poecilorhyncha (39 bds),
Ardea purpurea (12 bds., Iriomote),
Alcedo atthis (7 bds),
Ixobrychus cinnamomeus (6 bds),
Pandion haliaetus (4 bds),
Porzana fusca (2 bds) and
Gorsakius goisagi (1 dbs., Okinawa).
Winter and migrant waders were 20 species (4 species as winter visitor), with 5 species of herons.
Pluvialis dominicus (131 bds),
Tringa incana (71 bds),
Numenius phaeopus (64 bds),
Tringa hypoleuca (59 bds),
Tringa glareola (43 bds),
Tringa nebularia (30 bds),
Tringa ocrophus (17 bds) were chief species and one
Calidris bairdii was observed as a rare straggler. Five herons were
Egretta alba, E. intermedia, Bubulcus ibis, Butorides striatus and
Ardea cinerea.
Sea birds were very scarce. A few
Sterna bergii (19 in all) and one
Calonectris leucomelas were seen between Ishigaki and Iriomote. A frigatebird is said to have occurted over Ishigaki and the presence of breeding colonies (said to breed in May) of
Sterna sumatrana along west coast of Iriomote was reported to the author.
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