Phyllon'sPersonalJapaneseWildBirdMuseum-Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler Locustella certhiola

Japanese Name: Shiberia Sen-nyuu

English Name: Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler
Scientific Name: Locustella certhiola

Taxonomy
　Pallas's Grashopper Warbler was described in 1811by Pallas at first. The individual was captured in mountainous region between Onon and Borazy in eastern Transbaikalia(Mayr and Cottrell 1986, Baker 1997). There is some different opinions about the taxonomy of this species. In recent years, four subspecie is usually recognised; rubescens, sparsimastriata, centralasiae, and certhiola（Mayr and Cottrell 1986, Svensson 1992, Baker 1997, Clements 2000, Dickinson 2003)。Yamashina（1941), however, did not recognise ssp. sparsimastriata and recognised ssp. minor. Mayr and Cottrell (1986) described ssp. minor as a synonym of ssp. certhiola and Yamashina(1941) described also that there was the opinion.

The subspecies that was recorded in Japan
　Ornithological Socity of Japan（2000）and Kawaji and Abe(1988) described that L. c. rubscens was recorded on Hamatonbetsu-machi, Hokkaido(29th September 1985), Hegura-jima, Ishikawa Prefecture（May, 1987）、Kokubu-machi, Kagoshima Prefecture(15th November 1987）. Kawaji and Abe(1988) recognised ssp. certhiola, centralasiae, minor and rubescens. They treated ssp. minor as the different ssp. of ssp. certhiola.
　Ornithological Socity of Japan（1974） described L. c. minor was recordded on Rebun and Rishiri Is. (summer 1952) in "Appendix2. Species and Subspecies of Uncertain Records".According to Takano(1981), Late Yukio Nakamura obserbed this species and heard the song of this speies and obtained a specimen on Rishiri and Rebun Is., but he had not published as a report and the specimen had been lost.
　Teruaki Morioka commented about a photograph which had been taken on Yonaguni I., Okinawa Prefecture that "The bird is paler than ssp. rubscens(Northern Shiberia) and may be ssp. certhiola which is destributed in Manchuria, Ussriland and Amur"(The editorial staff of "Birder" 2006).
However, Ornithological Socity of Japan（1974） described L. c. minor was recordded on Rebun and Rishiri Is. in summer 1952 as uncertain record and this subspecies treates often as a synonym of ssp. certhiola, as above. Therefore, ssp. certhiola might breed there in 1952.

References
Baker, K. 1997. Warblers of Europe, Asia and North Africa. Christopher Helm, London.
Clements J. F. 2000. Birds of the World:A Checklist, 5th edition. Ibis Publishing Company, CA.
Dickinson, C. (ed.) 2003. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, 3rd edition. Christopher Helm, London.
Kawaji, N. and Abe, J. 1988. Records of Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler Locustella certhiola from Japan. J. Yamashina Inst. Ornith. 20: 107-110.
Mayr, R. & Cottrell, G. W. (eds.) 1986. Check-list of the Birds of the World. Vol.XI. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambrirdge.
Ornithological Socity of Japan 1994. Check-list of Japanese birds Fifth and Revised Edition. Gakken, Tokyo.
Ornithological Socity of Japan 2000. Check-list of Japanese birds Sixth Revised Edition. OSJ, Obihiro.
Svensson, L. 1992. Identification Guide to European Passerines. 4th revised and enlarged edition. Stckholm.
The editorial staff of "Birder" 2006. Photographs the birds of Japan 2005. Bunichi Sogo Shuppan, Tokyo.
Yamashina, Y. 1941. A Natural History of Japanese Birds. II. Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo.
　

	1.　10 October 2005 Yonaguni-jima, Okinawa Prefecture Photo: Hisashi Kawanabe This indivedual is same bird to the bird published by the editorial staff of "Birder(2006) as above. The bird had breast streak. According to Yamashina(1941), juvinile has short blackish brown streak on the both side of throat, lower throat and upper throat. Therfore, this bird was thought as a juvinile that was born in this year.
	2.　25 May 2005 Hegura-jima, Wajima-shi, Ishikawa Prefecture Photo: Yoshiki Watabe I compared this photo with some photographs that was published in some literetures and web-site and I realize that the bird darker than the different photos or same colloaration, so it is very likely that the individual was ssp. rubescens. the individual may I confirmed some Pallas's Grasshopper Warblers from 25 to 27 May 2005. The song of this species is very simmilar with the song of Middendorff's Warbler L. ochotensis, so I think that it is very difficult that the idintification only by song.
	3.　25 May 2005 Hegura-jima, Wajima-shi, Ishikawa Prefecture Photo: Yoshiki Watabe The the same bird as in image No.2. The bird had no breast streak, so the bird is after pre-breeding moulting.

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