Shijukara (Japanese tit; Parus minor) [Paridae]
Size 14.5 cm. In both males and females, the plumage is somewhat like a dress bow-tie, the essential difference only being that male wears a more pronounced tie than the female. The cheerful song goes “tsuppi, tsuppi, tsuppi.’’
Kiji (Green pheasant; Phasianus versicolor) [Phasianus]
Size; Male—80cm, Female—60cm.
The Japanese national bird. The male cries “ken ke-en” whilst flapping and fluttering its wings.
This is termed, “horo uchi.’’
Kakesu (Eurasian jay; Garrulus glandarius,) [Corvidae]
Size 33cm. It has a fierce appearance, but also with a beautifully patterned plumage. “Gyaa gyaa’’ is its typical cry. It eats nuts, but also carnivorous, pecking at the corpse of a dead animal. It even attacks the nests of small birds.