Birds to See in Japan in December
133 species listed for December · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
133 bird species on our list for Japan are recorded regularly in December. Of these, the most often recorded are Pied Wagtail, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Coot and Great Cormorant. New this month: Common Redpoll, Yellow-browed Warbler, Little Stint and Ringed Plover and 1 more.
Residents
(47)Recorded all year
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
Recorded all year
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Recorded all year
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
Recorded all year
Japanese Wagtail
Motacilla grandisLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Recorded all year
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Osprey
Pandion haliaetusLC
Recorded all year
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
Recorded all year
Blue Rock-thrush
Monticola solitariusLC
Recorded all year
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Recorded all year
Red-flanked Bluetail
Tarsiger cyanurusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
Recorded all year
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticoraxLC
Recorded all year
Marsh Tit
Poecile palustrisLC
Recorded all year
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Recorded all year
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Psittacula krameriLC
Recorded all year
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulataLC
Recorded all year
Willow Tit
Poecile montanusLC
Recorded all year
Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinusLC
Recorded all year
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Recorded all year
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
Recorded all year
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly Sep–Jul
Crested Myna
Acridotheres cristatellusLC
Recorded all year
Scaly-breasted Munia
Lonchura punctulataLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Wryneck
Jynx torquillaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Bittern
Botaurus stellarisLC
Regularly Nov–Jul
Long-eared Owl
Asio otusLC
Regularly Nov–Jul
Muscovy Duck
Cairina moschataLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(8)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Black-tailed Gull
Larus crassirostrisLC
Recorded all year
Little Ringed Plover
Thinornis dubiusLC
Recorded all year
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Purple Heron
Ardea purpureaLC
Regularly Nov–Sep
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Regularly Nov–Sep
Pomarine Jaeger
Stercorarius pomarinusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Indian Peafowl
Pavo cristatusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Dryobates minorLC
Regularly Oct–Jul
Winter visitors
(74)Present outside the breeding season
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Dusky Thrush
Turdus eunomusLC
Regularly Oct–May
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Recorded all year
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Recorded all year
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Regularly Oct–Jun
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Recorded all year
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Recorded all year
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
Regularly Nov–Apr
Smew
Mergellus albellusLC
Regularly Nov–Apr
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Regularly Oct–May
Black-necked Grebe
Podiceps nigricollisLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Regularly Aug–May
White-tailed Sea-eagle
Haliaeetus albicillaLC
Regularly Aug–Feb
Vega Gull
Larus vegaeLC
Regularly Sep–May
Steller's Sea-eagle
Haliaeetus pelagicusVU
Regularly Nov–Mar
Brambling
Fringilla montifringillaLC
Regularly Oct–May
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Aug–May
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Regularly Nov–Mar
Tundra Swan
Cygnus columbianusLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Regularly Oct–May
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifronsLC
Regularly Sep–May
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Regularly Nov–May
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodiaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Red-necked Grebe
Podiceps grisegenaLC
Regularly Oct–Jul
Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneusLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalisVU
Regularly Nov–Mar
Taiga Bean Goose
Anser fabalisLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
Recorded all year
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Horned Grebe
Podiceps auritusVU
Regularly Oct–Apr
Swan Goose
Anser cygnoidesEN
Regularly Jul–May
Tundra Bean Goose
Anser serrirostrisLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Regularly Jul–May
Sandhill Crane
Antigone canadensisLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Brent Goose
Branta berniclaLC
Regularly Oct–May
Common Crane
Grus grusLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Avocet
Recurvirostra avosettaLC
Regularly Oct–May
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Pacific Golden-Plover
Pluvialis fulvaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Regularly Nov–May
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Regularly Sep–May
Temminck's Stint
Calidris temminckiiLC
Regularly Aug–May
Cackling Goose
Branta hutchinsiiLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Snow Goose
Anser caerulescensLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraLC
Regularly Oct–Jun
Long-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus scolopaceusNT
Regularly Aug–Apr
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Regularly Oct–May
Red-crested Pochard
Netta rufinaLC
Regularly Nov–Feb
Bohemian Waxwing
Bombycilla garrulusLC
Regularly Oct–May
Pacific Loon
Gavia pacificaLC
Regularly Oct–Jun
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeusLC
Regularly Nov–Apr
Japanese Waxwing
Bombycilla japonicaNT
Regularly Oct–May
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalisLC
Regularly Nov–Feb
Arctic Loon
Gavia arcticaLC
Regularly Nov–Jun
Rough-legged Hawk
Buteo lagopusLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Yellow-browed Warbler
Phylloscopus inornatusLC
Regularly Oct–May
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Passage migrants
(4)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
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