Japanese Grosbeak, 10/19/2012

This October a Japanese Grosbeak appeared in Jinshan Youth Activity Center, New Taipei City. The news immediately excited the birding society. And again, wave after wave of birding fans rushed to photograph this magnificent bird. The Chinese name of the bird is odd, and so is its look, especially its head. Its bill is in cone shape. I never saw that kind of head before. According to information from internet, Japanese Grosbeaks are rare wintering birds in Taiwan. I guess this one had just arrived in Taiwan not long before, so it ate like hell the seeds of a tree which I don't know the name. You might know the tree by viewing the pictures below.

After that day, people said there came another Japanese Grosbeak. Maybe they were a couple, one male and one female. I don't know.












video recorded at Jinshan Youth Activity Center, New Taipei City, Taiwan, on 10/19/2012

Chinese name:	桑鳲
English name:	Japanese Grosbeak
Nickname:
Scientific name:	Eophona personata
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Fringillidae
Species status:	Species
Conservation status:	Least Concern
Migration status:	Winter migratory bird in Taiwan
Frequency of appearance:	Rare in Taiwan
Foods:	Seeds, fruits, tender shoots
Habitat:	Deciduous forests, mixed forests, forest parks
Altitude:	Low altitude
Behavior:	Often appear in flock or in pair on top level of trees.
Characteristics:	General Characteristics: About 21 cm long. The bird is mainly milky gray. Bill is yellow, in cone shape. The front half of the whole head, which includes head top, face and throat, is black. The front half of both the wing and the tail are grayish blue, while the back half are black. There is a white mark on the side of the primaries. Summer plumage: Winter plumage: Similar species:
Breeding places:	Breeding in southeastern Russia, northeastern China, North Korea, Japan.
Migration destinations:	Wintering in southern China, Taiwan, etc.
Time photographed:	10/19/2012
Location found:	Jinshan Youth Activity Center, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Sources:	Internet
Notes: