Common Birds in Japan
Our list for Japan has 41 common birds recorded regularly there: 22 residents, 4 summer visitors and 15 winter visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Japan in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 41, most common first
Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanusResidentCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentCommon90–98 cmRecorded all year
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaSummer visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Carrion CrowCorvus coroneResidentCommon45–47 cmRecorded all year
Pied WagtailMotacilla albaResidentCommon17–19 cmRecorded all year
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCommon80–104 cmRecorded all year
Dusky ThrushTurdus eunomusWinter visitorCommon23–25 cmRegularly Oct–May
CootFulica atraWinter visitorCommon36–42 cmRecorded all year
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentCommon55–65 cmRecorded all year
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRegularly Sep–May
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorCommon42–51 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollisResidentCommon23–29 cmRecorded all year
Common KingfisherAlcedo atthisResidentCommon16–17 cmRecorded all year
Blue Rock-thrushMonticola solitariusResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year
Black-tailed GullLarus crassirostrisSummer visitorCommon43–51 cmRecorded all year
PochardAythya ferinaWinter visitorCommon42–49 cmRecorded all year
Japanese WagtailMotacilla grandisResidentCommon20–23 cmRecorded all year
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosWinter visitorCommon18–20 cmRecorded all year
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaWinter visitorCommon40–47 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatusResidentCommon13–16 cmRecorded all year
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made