Bonin greenfinch

The Bonin greenfinch, also known as the Ogasawara greenfinch, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae that is endemic to the Ogasawara Islands of Japan, where it is found on the Bonin Islands and Volcano Islands. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the grey-capped greenfinch and some authorities consider it as such, but a 2020 analysis found it likely to represent a distinct species that diverged from C. sinica about 1.06 million years ago, and the International Ornithological Congress now recognizes it as such, making it the eleventh endemic species in Japan. There are fewer than 400 individuals in the population and it is considered critically endangered by the Japanese government, necessitating protection. According to the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, as of December 2021, the Ogaswara greenfinch is Japan's most endangered bird.

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Distribution

Region

Ogasawara (Bonin) and Volcano Islands, Japan

Typical Environment

Occurs on small oceanic islands with a mosaic of subtropical evergreen forest, coastal scrub, and secondary growth. It frequents forest edges, thickets, and open woodland with scattered trees, as well as village plantings and windbreaks. Birds forage from the ground up into shrubs and low canopies, often using sheltered sites during windy conditions. Nesting typically takes place in dense shrubs or small trees.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 500 m

Climate Zone

Subtropical

Characteristics

Size14–15 cm

Wing Span23–26 cm

Male Weight0.018 kg

Female Weight0.017 kg

Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

Also called the Ogasawara greenfinch, it is confined to Japan’s remote Ogasawara (Bonin and Volcano) Islands. Long treated as a subspecies of the grey-capped greenfinch, genomic work in 2020 supported full species status after a divergence about a million years ago. With fewer than 400 birds, it is among Japan’s most endangered birds, threatened by invasive predators, habitat changes, and severe storms.

Gallery

Nakōdo Island in the Muko-jima Islands, the type locality[1][8]

Wikstroemia pseudoretusa seeds are a preferred food source[5][15]

Behaviour

Temperament

wary but social in small groups

Flight Pattern

undulating flight with short rapid wingbeats

Social Behavior

Outside the breeding season it forms small flocks or loose groups, often feeding quietly in cover. Pairs are monogamous during breeding, defending a small territory. The nest is a neat cup placed in dense shrubs or small trees, with clutches typically of 3–4 eggs.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

A soft, twittering series of trills and tinkling notes, interspersed with buzzy phrases. Males often sing from exposed perches, especially at dawn and early morning.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Bonin grosbeak

The Bonin grosbeak or Bonin Islands grosbeak is an extinct finch. It is one of the diverse bird taxa that are vernacularly called "grosbeaks", but it is not closely related to the grosbeaks sensu stricto. Many authorities place the species in the genus Carpodacus, but some place it in its own genus, Chaunoproctus. A 2013 genetic analysis found it to be a relatively basal member of the group, more derived than the common rosefinch, but with no close relatives, with an estimated divergence time from other members of the group around 12.5 million years ago.

Bonin thrush

The Bonin thrush, also known as Kittlitz's thrush or the Bonin Islands thrush, is an extinct species of Asian thrush. It is sometimes separated as the only species of the genus Cichlopasser. The only place where this bird was found was Chichi-jima in the Ogasawara Islands; it might conceivably have inhabited Anijima and Otōtojima, but this has not been borne out by observations or specimens. The species was only once observed by a naturalist, its discoverer Heinrich von Kittlitz. He encountered the thrush in the coastal woods where it usually kept to the ground; it may have been ground-nesting. The only specimens ever taken are in the Naturalis in Leiden (1), the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna (1), the Senckenbergmuseum in Frankfurt (1) and in the Zoological Museum, St. Petersburg (2).

Bonin white-eye

The Bonin white-eye is a small species of songbird endemic to the Bonin Islands of Japan. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Apalopteron. The taxonomic affinities of the Bonin white-eye were a long-standing mystery and it was formerly placed with the bulbuls, babblers and more recently with the honeyeaters, during which it was known as the Bonin honeyeater. Since 1995 it is known to be a white-eye in the family Zosteropidae, that is closely related to the golden white-eye of the Marianas Islands.

Bonin wood pigeon

The Bonin wood pigeon is an extinct species of pigeon that was endemic to Nakodo-jima and Chichi-jima in the Ogasawara Islands, south of Japan. It is known from four recorded specimens, the first from 1827 and the last from 1889. They averaged a length of 45 cm. This pigeon died out late in the 19th century as a result of deforestation, hunting, and predation by introduced rats and cats.