Ryukyu Minivet

The Ryukyu minivet is a roughly 20 cm member of Campephagidae described by Leonhard Stejneger in 1887 and named for Japanese naturalist Seiichi Tegima. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the ashy minivet but is now recognized as Pericrocotus tegimae. The sexes differ in plumage. Its separation from ashy minivet is important when assessing records beyond its established Japanese range (Japan bird checklist; Wikipedia, general species account).

Originally restricted to the Ryukyu Islands, the species expanded north during the late twentieth century, reaching southern Kyushu in the 1970s and later spreading through Kyushu into Shikoku and western Honshu. It uses evergreen and mixed deciduous forest from sea level to about 1,700 m, as well as cedar plantations and gardens. A Jeju record was reported in 2024, providing the basis for Korean occurrence; wider establishment should not be assumed from that record alone (Wikipedia; Wild Bird Society of Japan).