Great Tit (Parus major)

Field marks: head and throat black, white cheek, black band through breast
(14 cm.)
大山雀 – dà shān-què – ‘large mountain finch’

The Great Tit is another widely distributed species that is found throughout Europe and Asia. It is also a very common species throughout its range and familiar to many people. The Great Tit was once considered a single species with several subspecies throughout its range, but recent scientific studies have suggested that the bird we see in Asia should be referred to as the “Japanese Tit” and that the birds found in Europe should be referred to as the “Cinerous Tit”. Ornithologists are still arguing about this new division of the species, so the name “Great Tit” will suffice for our purposes.

The scientific name of this species, “Parus major” means large tit, and indeed this species is the largest member of its group. All tits, however, are small songbirds. They are all active omnivores that feed primarily on insects during the spring and summer months and seeds during the winter. In Europe and North America tits are frequent visitors to feeding stations maintained by bird-lovers and are very popular with people due to their friendly natures. They often eat from the hands of people patient enough to earn their trust. Their engaging personalities and comfort with people have made them one of the best-studied group of birds in the world.

The Great Tit inhabits a large variety of habitats including deciduous and coniferous forests as well as “mixed woodland”. It will also be found in city parks and university campuses throughout much of China.

It is a non-migratory bird that can remain in the same place during summer and winter by switching its diet from insects in summer to seeds in winter. Only in the event of food shortages in winter will the Great Tit undertake large food-searching movements. Often, the Great Tit will join “mixed flocks” of other bird species such as finches and nuthatches harsh winter to forage for food in the harsh winter months.

Great Tits are early spring breeders that use tree cavities as nests. They will also readily use man-made boxes for nesting purposes making them good subjects for study. The female lays a large clutch of eggs, often up to 18. The female alone will incubate the eggs and she will be fed by the male during her incubation duties. Young tit chicks are fed by both parents.

Great Tit (European race) by Luc Viatour

Dusky Thrush (Turdus eunomos)

(25 cm.) Heavily patterned black and white; reddish-brown wing linings; broad reddish-brown wing patch

The Dusky Thrush is one member of a large family of sweet singing birds, the thrushes, of the family, “turdidae”. Thrushes throughout the world are considered among the most gifted of avian singers, with their beautiful, rich flute-like warbling. Many thrush species in China are also gifted musical performers, with the Song Thrush as perhaps the most gifted of the clan.

The Dusky Thrush is also quite musical, performing its simple whistled song many times from the time it sets off on its spring migration north through the breeding season in mid- summer.

Thrushes and other species of songbirds sing not only to attract a mate, but also to set up territories during the annual summer breeding season. Each pair of birds of a particular species needs several square kilometers of space in a particular location from which they build nests and have exclusive food-gathering rights. The maintenance of strict territories ensures that chicks raised by parent birds of a particular species will have rights to the necessary resources for their survival.

The Dusky Thrush song is not often heard in China, however, as its breeding range is the far north of Russia. This bird seeks out grassy fields, pastures, and similar open country with scattered trees as its preferred habitat. The female lays 3-5 eggs in a rather messy-looking nest.

Following the breeding season, Dusky Thrushes will migrate south and spend the winters in central and south China and Southeast Asia. It is during the winter that the Chinese observer will most often have the opportunity to glimpse this handsome bird in city parks. This bird is quite common and can be readily found in southeast China during the winter  months.

The Dusky Thrush is another versatile omnivore that is fond of insects, especially mosquitoes, and berries.

Photo by Brian Westland

Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)

(29 cm.) Entirely black plumage; yellow bill and eye ring

The Eurasian Blackbird, often referred to as the Common Blackbird is a very common member of the thrush family, “turdidae”. Like other many other birds in this family, the Eurasian Blackbird is a talented singer that serenades females and threatens other males with its melodious singing during the spring and summer.

Despite bearing the name, “blackbird,” it should be noted that this bird is a true thrush and is not related to members of the American blackbird family, “icteridae.” As one of the few completely black species of songbirds in Europe and Asia, the bird’s English name is most reasonable. The male has uniformly black plumage with a striking yellow eye-ring and yellow bill. The female is a less attractive mix of black and brown, but still possesses the yellow bill, which is this species diagnostic feature.

The Eurasian Blackbird is found throughout south and central China as far north as Shandong province. It is not a migratory species and can be found year-round in most part of its range. In the northern part of its range, some birds may wander south during winter to seek out better conditions. It is generally a hardy species, however.

This bird is a common sight in city parks and gardens or any place that offers it its preferred foods, earthworms, insects, and other small invertebrates. It is a versatile omnivore that also enjoys berries and fruits.

During the summer breeding season the male Eurasian Blackbird will attract a mate with a strange courtship display of running and head-bobbing. After mating, the couple will build a cup-shaped nest made of mud, grass and other vegetation. The female lays 3-5 eggs and incubates them herself for about two weeks. Due to the accessible position of Eurasian Blackbird nests, predators often take eggs and chicks. Despite this, this species continues to maintain a large population, and this bird continues to be regular attraction in city parks in all major Chinese cities from Qingdao in the north all the way down the East Coast of China.

Photo by Brian Westland

Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus)

(10 cm.) Small; green-olive upperparts; white eye-ring; yellow throat and vent

The Japanese White-eye is the most common of three white-eye species that occur in China. All white-eyes are named, not surprisingly, for the conspicuous white eye rings that each member of the family possesses. China is home to several other small songbirds, however, that also possess white eye rings such as several species of flycatcher, so one should not automatically assume that any bird with an eye ring is a member of this family.

The Japanese White-eye, like other members of its family, “Zosteropidae,” the white-eyes, is an omnivore with a varied diet. The birds will take insects and fruits and will even visit flowers to take nectar.

This species is extremely active, and like many warblers, it is often difficult to observe due to the hyperactive pace it sets. Fortunately, its broad eye ring and yellow body are easily noted, and it is very quickly identifiable.

Of the three white-eye species which occur in China, only two inhabit the eastern part of the country, the Japanese White-eye and its close cousin, the Chestnut-flanked White-eye. The species look alike, however, the Chestnut-flanked White-eye has very obvious brown stripes on its sides, so distinguishing the two species is not difficult. Sometimes, these two species will flock together.

The Japanese White-eye builds a cup-shaped nest made of a variety of building materials such as hair, spider webs, moss and lichen. It will even steal materials from the nests of other birds.

This bird is admirable for its beauty as well as its role in helping to control insect populations. In 1929, it was introduced to Hawaii in an attempt by authorities there to control insect populations on that ecologically-challenged group of islands.

Japanese White-eye (Photo by Dick Daniels)

Japanese White-eye (Photo by Dick Daniels)

Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea) Hongzui xiangsiniao

(15 cm.) Red bill; thick white eye-ring; orange breast; yellow belly; yellow patches on wings

The Red-billed Leiothrix is a colorful species of the babbler family, “Timaliidae.” Despite the fact that the bird is fairly common, it is rarely seen. This is due to its love of dense jungle and pine forest habitats with dense ground vegetation that allows the bird to remain hidden from most observers. This species is often called by other names such as Pekin Robin, Pekin Nightingale and Japanese Nightingale, despite the fact that it is not native to Japan.

All babblers, this species included, share certain common traits which help to distinguish them from other songbirds. Most have harsh, chattering and unmusical calls unlike the more pleasing sounds of other songbird species. Most babblers tend to be “sedentary” or inactive, and remain close to the ground. They are weak fliers and as such do not undertake migrations. Babblers are usually quite gregarious, liking the company of others of its kind.

The Red-billed Leiothrix is an omnivore which eats both plant and animal matter. It feeds among the vegetation on or close to the ground of its forest and jungle habitats. It is fond of fruits such as strawberries, guava and papaya and many types of insects.

During the summer breeding season, this species makes an open cup-shaped nest of a type similar to other babblers which is usually situated close to the ground in a shrub. The nest is usually composed of leaves, moss and lichen. As the nest is placed in a shrub surrounded by dense vegetation, it is usually well-hidden from predators. The female lays 2-4 eggs with 3 eggs constituting the normal clutch size.

In China, the Red-billed Leiothrix is found throughout the southeastern mainland from the South Coast as far north as approximately the Shanghai region.

The Red-billed Leiothrix and the Hwamei are two Chinese songbird species which have been introduced widely to other locations around the world. Both species have been introduced in Hawaii and have thrived there. In other places such as Australia, France and England, the Red-billed Leiothrix was introduced but failed to establish itself. Hawaii is much richer today for the presence of this lovely Chinese bird.

Red Billed Leiothrix (Photo by Dick Daniels)

Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

(10 cm.) Tiny; tail held erect; faint eye-line; uniformly brown; dark bars on belly.

The Winter Wren is a tiny nomad of a bird. It is the only member of its family, “Troglodytinae,” to be found outside of the Americas. This bird, also called the Eurasian Wren, is often simply referred to as “the wren” because it is the only species of its kind found in Eurasia. It was also the first species of its family known to science, and to be given the name, “wren.” Fifty-nine other species of wren can be found throughout the Americas from Canada down to Argentina.

The family’s name, “Troglodytinae,” means cave-dweller, a reference to all wrens’

tendency to disappear in dense vegetation near the ground. All wrens are various shades of brown and all of them hold their tails in an erect, upright position. They are all insectivores that possess often beautiful and complex songs.

The Winter Wren is one of the smallest birds within its range throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Its tiny size is one of the keys to its identification, especially in Europe and Asia where it is the only tiny brown bird that cocks its stubby tail in the typical wren fashion.

In China, the Winter Wren breeds in its year-round range in the northeast and northwest corners of the country. It is also a resident of the central portion of the country and Taiwan. In winter, it can be found along the East Coast of the country from Dalian all the way down the coast to Hong Kong.

The Winter Wren is blessed with one of the most impressive songs in the bird world. It is also one of the loudest songs for a bird so tiny. The song consists of rising and falling melodious notes and trills of very clear tone, and lasts for up to half a minute. Following another half-minutes’ rest, the song starts again. Once heard, the song of this bird is never forgotten. This amazing song, although most often heard in spring, can be heard year-round.

The Winter Wren prefers coniferous forests as habitat, and in the summer breeding season, the male builds several round nests of grass, leaves, or moss, allowing the female to choose her favorite. Winter Wrens are polygamous, and a male wren may have several families during one breeding season.

The Winter Wren feeds on spiders and insects, including many that hide in crevices during winter months. This bird’s ability to find insect life in the depths of winter allows it to be a non-migratory bird throughout much of its range

Yellow-rumped Flycatcher (Ficedula zanthopygia)

(13 cm.) Yellow rump; yellow throat and underparts; black head, back, wings, and tail; conspicuous white eye-line

The Yellow-rumped Flycatcher is one of the most beautiful birds in China. It is a brightly colored flycatcher of yellow, black and white with a distinctive patch of yellow at the base of its tail providing it with its English name. Females of the species are less brightly colored than males, but still share the yellow rump, making them readily identifiable. It is also known as the “Korean Flycatcher” and the “Tricolor Flycatcher”.

As with all members of the flycatcher family, it is an insectivorous species that will perch and wait for flying insects to pass by. This species is also often seen foraging along tree branches and probing tree bark in a manner similar to a tit.

This species, like many of the flycatcher family, is highly migratory and travels far from its summer breeding grounds to spend winter. In summer, this bird breeds in East Asia including Western Japan, Korea, and much of Northeast China as far south as Shandong Province. Following its fall migration, this species can be found in a wide range of South Asia as far west as parts of India. It shows a fondness for all types of forest for nest-building and breeding.

All flycatchers make very neat, cup-shaped nests that are often lined with materials such as hair and decorated with moss.

All flycatchers sit on their perches with a distinctive posture. They sit upright with their bodies at close to a 90 degree angle to their perch. Other bird species perch with their bodies in a less upright position.

Thankfully, the beautiful Yellow-rumped Warbler is a common and successful species that can be often spotted with little effort. During its spring and fall migrations, it is can be found in city parks, especially beside small rivers and streams.

Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) Zong shanweiying

(10 cm.) Small; heavily streaked back; white tip on tail; reddish-brown rump.

The Zitting Cisticola is a small bird which used to be included in the family of warblers. This species, along with other cisticolas and prinias, now constitute the family, “Cisticolidae.” Its former name is Streaked Fantail Warbler.

The Zitting Cisticola looks like a small brown warbler with its slender body and long, thin bill. Its bill is an adaptation for capturing the insects which form the largest part of its diet. As its former name suggests, this species is heavily-streaked with black on its brown back. Its white-tipped tail is often spread widely open like a fan. The underparts of this bird are white.

This species is found in grasslands near water where large numbers of insects are likely to be found. Cisticolas are generally non-migratory birds that live in warm climates that can offer an insect population all year long The Zitting Cisticola is a resident bird throughout its Chinese range as it is only found in the southeast region of the country from just south of Shanghai in the North down to the South Coast including Hainan and Taiwan.

The nesting season of the Zitting Cisticola is generally in accordance with the rainy season during its breeding season. The male of the species builds the foundation of a nest, and he displays the quality of his craftsmanship to prospective mates as part of his courtship effort. If a female accepts his invitation to mate, the pair of birds will complete the nest together. The male bird will also hover above a prospective female while calling to her during courtship.

The female lays 3-6 eggs in the completed nest which is a cup-shaped structure with a canopy for protection. The Zitting Cisticola is a polygamous species which will change mates and raise more than one brood per breeding season.

Zitting Cisticola (Photo by JM Garg)

Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis)

Field marks: (26. Cm.)  All yellow except for the wing tips and tail, black mask, long pinkish bill
黑枕黄鹂 – hēi-zhěn huáng-lí – ‘black napped yellow oriole’

The Black-naped Oriole is a strikingly beautiful yellow and black bird which is a member of the avian family, “oriolidae”, the orioles. All orioles are robust birds with long powerful bills which they employ in the consumption of fruits and insects. The Black-naped Oriole is named for the black patch on the back of its head near the nape of its neck. This patch forms a mask on the face of the bird. Males and females of this species look alike.

This species is Asian in its distribution and it is found in many Asian countries including Russia, Korea, China, India, Burma and Thailand. In China, it is a breeding bird that breeds throughout Eastern China all the way up to Heilongjiang.

Orioles of all species make nests that resemble bags that are situated in the forks of trees and suspended from the branches.  Orioles are also known for their beautiful and melodious whistled songs.

The Black-naped Oriole is a versatile bird which can eat a wide variety of foods and live in a wide variety of habitats. I can be found in forests, parks and cultivated areas as well.

Their diets consist of a wide variety of insect species in addition to fruits, especially berries. They even have a predatory streak like the Black-billed Magpie and will often take eggs and chicks from the nests of other songbirds.

In breeding season, the female may build several nests before finally settling on one to use. The unused nests are often occupied by the males during the breeding season. Nests are often built close to the nests of the Black Drongo. The females lay 2-3 eggs and incubate them herself. Once hatched, the chicks are provided with food by both the male and female parents.

The Black-naped Orioles great beauty is a mixed blessing for this bird in China. While beloved by many birdwatchers, this species often is trapped for the caged bird market in this country. Beautiful birds such as these should be appreciated where they belong-in the wild.

Photo by Lip Kee

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer Montanus)

Field marks:  common; brown and white plumage, black throat cheek spot, reddish-brown crown (12-14 cm.) 麻雀 – má-què – ‘sparrow’
树麻雀 – shù má-què – ‘tree sparrow’ (Alternative in Cheng, M&P, Atlas)

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is one of the commonest and perhaps the most familiar bird in Eastern China. It is found in every part of China, but it is the ubiquitous sparrow found in every city in the East of the country. In Western China, a similar species, the House Sparrow, is its ubiquitous city-dwelling counterpart. Like other birds with thick conical bills adapted for seed eating, it is a member of the finch family, “Passeridae.”

This bird is familiar to all people and it is often just referred to as “sparrow” or “ma que”. Those who are familiar with this species are probably unaware that it is not the only sparrow in the country. In fact, China has 12 sparrow species. However, besides the House Sparrow in the West, other sparrow species will rarely be encountered by Chinese city-dwellers.

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is another omnivorous species that feeds by foraging on the ground for seeds and grains. In the summer breeding season, it will also partake of insects, millipedes, centipedes, and spiders.

This species should be appreciated despite its over-familiarity for its attractive appearance and the ease with which it keeps company with humans. In many places in China, however, this species is considered an enemy of the grain farmer as vast flocks of this bird can inflict significant damage to grain crops.

Mao Ze Dong famously attempted to eradicate this species in 1958 in order to save grain supplies. However, after initial success, many grain consuming insects on which the sparrows feed inflicted worse damage in the sparrows’ absence.

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is a tree cavity nesting species that can also use a rock face containing a cavity as well. A female sparrow will typically lay 5-6 eggs. Young sparrows need up to a year to achieve full independence.

Before the advent of human civilization and the growth of cities, this species favored lightly wooded, open country. The birds still exist in these places, but urbanization has created city paradises for these birds to conquer.

Photo by Yiwenyiwen

Black-billed Magpie

The robust bird depicted in the photo at the top of this page is the Black-billed Magpie. This bird is a ubiquitous presence in Qingdao and much of Eastern China. Following is a description of this species' life and habits.

Field marks: Large (45-60cm.); iridescent, black and white, long tail.  Black portions of bird appear to be a green or blue in the right angle of light.
喜鹊 – xǐ-què – ‘magpie’

The Black-billed Magpie is one of the most familiar birds on the East Coast of China. It is widely known as the “lucky bird” by the Chinese, and it is associated with good luck and fortune for those who encounter it.

In fact, this species, while extremely handsome, has a far less attractive disposition and reputation. It should be noted that all species of magpie belong to the family, “corvidae.” This is the same family as the crow and the raven-two species better known for their association with bad luck and devilment as opposed to good fortune. All members of the family corvidae including magpies, crows, ravens and jays, are extremely intelligent animals and are considered by many ornithologists as the most intelligent of birds. However, this family also has a reputation for savagery.

The Black-billed Magpie is an omnivore, and it indeed consumes a large variety of foods. In addition to eating nuts, seeds and berries, it will take small rodents such as mice. The black-billed magpie, along with other members of its family, is known for its predatory behavior and will often dine on the young chicks of other bird species. It will also attack and bully cats, dogs, and other birds that may venture too close to it or its territory. It is clearly not a lucky bird for those species upon which it preys and wreaks havoc.

This species, in addition to its range in China is also found in the western part of North America. It can be found throughout much of western North America as well as  other locations in Asia. The species seems to be particularly successful on the East Coast of China, especially around Qingdao, where it appears to be as common as people.

This species is non-migratory, unlike most other songbirds. It may wander in order to find new food sources, but it does not undertake large scale migrations in spring and fall.

The Black-billed Magpie frequents open country such as fields and pastures with scattered trees. Its love of this habitat makes it an ideal city dweller, where it can find parks and suburban sprawl. It is this adaptability that we can admire about this bird, and although this magpie may be a scourge to other birds it will not bother people beyond attempts to steal scraps of food from your garbage.

Like many non-migratory species, the Black-billed Magpie breeds early in spring. It builds a large, domed nest of loosely bound twigs and the female lays 6-10 eggs. Young magpies can fly after about one month after hatching and feed themselves in two months.

Black-billed Magpie(Photo by Brian Westland)