Species information
Scientific name: Garrulus lidthi
Japanese name: ルリカケス
Chinese name: 琉球松鴉
English name: Lidth’s jay
Native to: Amami Oshima, Kakeromajima, Ukejima
Ecology and description
Lidth’s jay is endemic to Amami Oshima, Kakeromajima and Ukejima (Tokunoshima has only a record from 1920). It is a National Natural Monument of Japan and the prefectural bird of Kagoshima. It declined in the past because of overhunting for its feathers and for specimens, but its population has increased as the natural forest recovered and the small Indian mongoose declined. The small Indian mongoose was declared eradicated from Amami Oshima in 2024.
The total length is about 38cm. The head and neck are deep blue with a purple tinge, the back to belly are reddish brown, and the wings and tail are deep blue, with white tips on the tail feathers and flight feathers. Juveniles are browner and lack the white parts.
It is omnivorous and eats insects, reptiles, amphibians, bird eggs, fruits and seeds, and it also stores food, which helps spread seeds. The breeding season is from February to May, with 3 to 7 eggs per clutch, and it nests in tree holes or trunk crevices.
Reference: Japanese Wikipedia: ルリカケス
Field photographs taken during our tours, with observation dates
