Japanese murrelet (English spelling) Synthliboramphus wumizusume; Japanese murrelet

Japanese: カンムリウミスズメ（英語表記）Synthliboramphus wumizusume; Japanese murrelet

Charadriiformes, Aukletidae. Endemic to Japan, 24-26cm long. In summer plumage (→ Plumage), there is a black crest (→ Crest) on the head, and the back of the head and both sides of the crest are white. A wide black band runs from the base of the beak through the eyes to the back of the neck, and continues to the dark blue-gray back. The chest and belly are white. In winter plumage, the crest is absent, the top of the head is gray-black, and the throat is white. Breeding grounds are the Izu Islands, Kyushu, and small islands in the southern part of the Republic of Korea, including Niijima, Hayashima, and Torishima in the Izu Islands, Mimianajima in Mie Prefecture, and Ozukuejima, Kozukuejima, and Hashirajima off the coast of Chikuzen in Fukuoka Prefecture. They mainly nest on uninhabited islands, in the crevices of rocks or in the shade of overlapping rocks on rocky reefs. The chicks leave the nest within a few days after hatching, and roll out to sea, guided by their parents, from cliffs several tens of meters high. In winter, they live offshore from their breeding grounds, never straying far from the coastal waters of Japan. They are fish-eating creatures, but will also dive to catch plankton and small shrimp. Their population is small, with a 2012 report estimating the total population to be between 5,000 and 10,000. They were designated a national natural monument in 1975.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

チドリ目ウミスズメ科。日本固有種で，全長 24～26cm。夏羽（→羽衣）は頭上に黒い冠羽（→羽冠）があり，後頭部と冠羽の両側が白色。幅広の黒い帯が嘴基部から眼を通って後頸で暗い青灰色の背面に連なる。胸から腹は白い。冬羽では冠羽を欠き，頭頂が灰黒色で，喉が白い。繁殖地は伊豆諸島や九州地方，大韓民国南部の小島で，伊豆諸島の新島，早島，鳥島，三重県の耳穴島，福岡県筑前沖の大机島，小机島，柱島などがある。おもに無人島で，岩礁地の岩の割れ目や岩が重なる陰に営巣する。雛は孵化して数日以内に巣立ちし，親鳥に導かれて数十mの崖上から転がり落ちるように海上に出る。冬は繁殖地周辺から沖合いの海上で暮らし，日本近海から遠く離れることはない。魚食性だが，プランクトン，小型のエビ類なども潜水してとる。生息数は少なく，2012年の報告では全個体数は 5000～1万羽と推定されている。1975年に国の天然記念物に指定された。

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