Ijima's Leaf Warbler　Phylloscopus ijimae

Yoshiki Watabe's Japanese Phylloscopus warblers site

Japanese Name: Iijima-mushikui

English Name : Ijima's Leaf Warbler
Scientific Name : Phylloscopus ijimae

Ijima's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus ijimae was described by Stejneger in 1892 at first as Acanthopneute ijimae. Mayr and Cottrell (1986) described that it was first noted in 1882, but probably it is wrong. Ijima's Leaf Warbler has been considered as a subspecies of Western Crowned Leaf Warbler P. occitptalis with Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler P. coronatus (Hachisuka et al. 1932, Ticehurst 1938, Yamashina 1941) or a subspecies of Pale-legged Leaf Warbler P. tenellipes (Williamson 1967). Japanese name has been also changed with times, and it has been called "Iijima-meboso" or "Iijima-sendai-mushikui" once.

Recently, it is treated as a monotypic full species P. ijimae. Its breeding area is limitted in Izu Islands (in Tokyo) and Tokara Islands (in Kagoshima prefecture). Higuchi(1973) discribed that he had recorded it on Oh-shima, To-shima, Nii-jima, Shikine-jima, Kouzu-shima, Miyake-jima, Mikura-jima, Hachijo-jima, Hachijo-kojima, and Aoga-shima in Izu Islands.Based on his description, rather small number live in Nii-jima and kouzu-shima, and it is very rare in shikine-jima and Ohshima. The nest was confirmed in Kouzu-shima, Miyake-jima, Mikura-jima and Hachijo-jima. I have visited to Miyake-jima, Mikura-jima and Hachijo-jima, and very many individuals was recorded on these three islands.
I have also visited to Nakano-shima(26 to 30 April 2003) and Taira-jima (1to 5 May 2004) in Tokara Islands. On Nkano-shima, it was common, but on Tairajima, I could see only one bird. In Tokara Islands, it is common on Nakano-shima, but on the other islands in Tokara Islands, it may be not lived or rare.
In migration season, its records is little (even in Japan) expect for breeding islands. The wintering range is also unknown, but it may winter in Philippines and Taiwan(Thomas 2004). It has been recorded on breeding islands(Miyake-jima and Hachijo-jima) in winter. As the identification criteria of Ijima's Leaf Warbler are known little, so it is proabably overlooked.
Based on my own observation, Ijima's Leaf Warbler prefers to evergreen broad-leaved trees. Takagi and Higuchi(2000) suggested that Ijima's Leaf Warbler are particularly associated with well-developed continuous forests, and that laurel forest provides more suitable habitat for them than does deciduous forest.

Recently, Fergus Crystal recorded Ijima's Warbler, Phylloscopus ijimae on return migration around Inaodake (at 930 meters above sea level), near the tip of the southern Osumi Peninsula in Kagoshima-ken. And he suggested the ID criteria in his mention. You can read these important informations in the following web-site.
http://ca.geocities.com/kantorilode/Species/IjimasWarbler.html#Ijima's%20Warbler

On the following web-site that was created by Akiyo Nakamichi, you can hear the song and call of Ijima's Leaf Warbler P. ijimae with spectograms compared with the Eastern Crowned Warbler P. coronatus !
http://nikonf.hp.infoseek.co.jp/f6hs.html
In the web-site, you can also hear the song and call of Japanese Bush Warbler Cettia diphone, the song of Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina (ssp. owstoni), the song and call of Ryukyu Robin Erithacus komadori komadori, Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis, and Izu Thrush Trudus celaenopus.

References：
Hachisuka, M., Kuroda, N., Takatsukasa, N., Uchida, S. and Yamashina, Y. (eds.) 1932. A Hand-list of the Japanese Birds. Revised. The Ornithological Society of Japan, Tokyo.
Higuchi, H. 1973. Birds of the Izu Islands (I). Distribution and habitat of the breeding land and freshwater birds. Tori 22: 14-24 (in Japanese with English summary).
Mayr, E. & Cottrell, G. W. (eds.) 1986. Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol.XI. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambrirdge.
Stejneger, L. 1892. Two additions to the Japanese avifauna, indluding descrioption of a new species. Proc. U. S. Natn. Mus. 15: 371-373.
Takagi, M., & Higuchi, H. Habitat selection by Ijima's Willow Warbler Phylloscopus ijimae on Miyake-jima, Japan. Jpn. J. Ornithol. 49: 113-117.
Thomas, R. 2004. Ijima's Leaf Warbler. BirdingASIA 2: 70-71.
Ticehurst, C. B. 1938. A Systematic Review of the Genus Phylloscopus. London.
Yamashina, Y. 1941. A Naural History of Japanese Birds 2. Iwanami-shoten, Tokyo(in Japanese).
Williamson, K. 1967. Identification for Ringers 2. The genera Phylloscopus. 2nd revised edn. BTO Guide No.8. British Trust for Ornithology, Tring.

	1.　24 May 1986 Miyake-jima, Tokyo Colour of the top of the head is contrastive greyer than greensh mantle. Greenish mantle, however can greyer in worn plumages. The supercilium is long, but urually narrower than Arctic, Sakhalin's Leaf, and Eastern Crowned Warblers. In Arctic Warbler, the supercilium is usually cutted sharply behind the nostrills (maybe expect for ssp. kennicotti). However, supecilium of Ijima's Leaf Warbler is slightly narrow near the nostril without sharply cut.. Ijima's Leaf Warbler has one or two wing bars, but they can be indistictively in worn plumages. The lower mandible is yellow without dark spot like Eastern Crowned Warbler. Arctic and Sakhalin Leaf Warblers have dark tip on lower mandible. The narrower and paler eye-stripe are useful ID criteria compared with Arctic, Sakhalin Leaf (maybe also Pale-legged Leaf), and Eastern Crowned Warblers. Rather distinct whitish orbital ring can be also good ID point. The call is one of the important ID criterion. The call of Ijima's Leaf Warbler is a downward-inflected 'hee' or 'pee'. The call of Sakhalin Leaf Warbler is slightly similar to it, but it is shoter and metalic sound of 'pit'(maybe rather similar to Pale-legged Leaf Warbler). The call of Eastern Crowned Warbler is softer and shorter 'phit'. The call of Arctic Wabler is very differently 'zit'.
	2.　2 September 2005 Mt. Koba, Sata-machi, Kagoshima Pref. Japan Photo taken by Fergus Crystal In recent year, Fergus Crystal, Akiyoshi Nakamichi and others found that Ijima's Leaf Warbler pass through Oosumi Peninsula, Kagoshima Prefecture, south western Japan annually. This photos are the first collected individual in Oosumi Peninsula (I would like to thank Fergus and Akisyoshi for allowing to present it in this site). The lower mandible without dark tip is similar with Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus. However, eye-stripe is rather paler than Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler. Additionally, the supercilium of Eastern Crowned Warbler is usually slightly thinner than Ijima's Leaf Warbler in front of the eyes. This character, however, may have variation, so it can not distinguish with both species certainly. reference： Crｙstal, F. 2005. Ijima's or Isu Leaf Warbler in south-east Kyushu, Japan. BidingASIA 3: 58-60.
	3.　2 September 2005 Mt. Koba, Sata-machi, Kagoshima Pref. Japan Photo taken by Fergus Crystal Note the yellow lower mandible without dark tip and yellowish tomiums that is similar with Eastern Crowned Warbler. The lower area of the eye is white. the upper edge of the supercilium is paler than Eastern Crowned Warbler.
	4.　2 September 2005 Mt. Koba, Sata-machi, Kagoshima Pref. Japan Photo taken by Fergus Crystal The under tail-coverts is yellowish that is similar with Eastern Crowned Warbler. In the fields, if you see from under the birds, you can identified it as the Ijima's Leaf or the Eastern Crowend Warbler because of the yellowish under tail-coverts and the lower mandible without dark tip. However you must confirm if the medium crown stripe is occued on the head or not, for the identification. The call and song, however, are very differnt with each other.
	5.　2 September 2005 Mt. Koba, Sata-machi, Kagoshima Pref. Japan Photo taken by Fergus Crystal The longest Primary is P8, P7 or P6. It is same with Eastern Crowned Warbler.
	6.　2 September 2005 Mt. Koba, Sata-machi, Kagoshima Pref. Japan Photo taken by Fergus Crystal Every tail feathers are pointed, so this individual is juvinile plumage.Inner primaries and outer secondaries have spikes.

species list
top page