Columba janthina
Japanese Name: カラスバト
Chinese Name: 黑林鴿
English Name: Black Wood Pigeon
Origin: China (Shandong Province), South Korea, Japan
This species has three subspecies:
- C. j. janthina (Black Wood Pigeon): Found in China (Shandong Province), South Korea, and Japan (south of central Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Izu Islands, Oki Islands, Okinawa Islands, Goto Islands, and the Satsunan Islands).
- C. j. nitens (Red-headed Wood Pigeon): An endemic subspecies found in the Ogasawara Islands and the Kazan Islands, Japan.
- C. j. stejnegeri (Yonaguni Black Wood Pigeon): An endemic subspecies found in the Sakishima Islands, Japan.
Observing the Black Wood Pigeon (C. j. janthina) in Yambaru is extremely difficult. Their population has been declining in recent years, and even their calls are rarely heard. I am lucky if I see one even once a year. The same subspecies is found on Amami Oshima. When I took this photo, I was very fortunate—this wood pigeon was on the ground by the roadside. As soon as I stepped out of the car, it flew onto a nearby tree branch.
On Miyakojima, Ishigakijima, Iriomotejima, and Yonagunijima, it is possible to spot another subspecies, the Yonaguni Black Wood Pigeon (C. j. stejnegeri).
Reference: Wikipedia