Chinese hwamei

Fills the forest with its beautiful, melodious song.

Scientific name	Garrulax canorus
English name	Chinese hwamei
Japanese name	画眉鳥
Class	Aves
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Timaliidae
Genus	Garrulax
Species	hwamei
Full length	24cm
Distribution	Distributed from southern China to Southeast Asia. Also established in Japan as an invasive species.

Chinese hwamei Characteristics and Morphology

A bird about the size of a brown-eared bulbul, with a rounded belly and a long-tailed silhouette. Monomorphic (males and females look alike), with the entire body being brown.
The head is a slightly lighter brown than the rest of the body. The inner part of the eye ring is pale blue, while the outer part is a distinct white. The white marking extends toward the back of the head. The bill ranges from yellow to orange. The belly is rounded, giving it a somewhat plump appearance. The tail feathers are long; when perched on a branch, the tip of the tail hangs down toward the ground.

Juvenile

The tail is shorter, and the overall coloration is paler.

Song

It sings beautifully in the thickets using a variety of tones. While the song resembles that of the Japanese bush warbler, it is characterized by being much louder with longer melodies.

Listen to the song

Chinese hwamei Ecology

Habitat

Inhabits thickets and secondary forests, moving through dense undergrowth. Found in wooded riverbanks as well as areas near human settlements.

Food

Feeds on insects and fruits while moving near the ground.

Life Cycle

They move in pairs during the breeding season and form flocks outside of the breeding season.

Chinese hwamei Photos

Chinese hwamei Photos are introduced.
Tap the photo to open the detail page.

Characterized by a brown body and white eye rings.

It hops onto a slightly higher branch when singing.

It walks on the ground to search for food.

It sings with a loud and beautiful voice.

Chinese hwamei Behavior

When singing, it hops up onto a branch slightly higher than the ground.

Chinese hwamei Information

Naming

The scientific name "canorus" means "melodious" in Latin, referring to its complex singing style. The English name "hwamei" comes from the Chinese "huà-méi," meaning "painted eyebrow," highlighting the eye markings that look as if they were drawn.

Invasive Alien Species

Designated as an Invasive Alien Species under the Invasive Alien Species Act. Originally, it was not a bird native to Japan. It is believed that Hwamei kept as pets for their song escaped from cages and became established. Currently, they are widely distributed from Kyushu to the southern Tohoku region.

Chinese hwamei Found Locations

Machida City Oyamadairei Park

It was singing in the thickets of Oyamadairei Park.
Even though only a fence separated the forest from the walkway, it continued to sing even when people got quite close. It moves through the brush making a rustling sound; hearing only the sound of its movement, it can sound like an Oriental turtle dove foraging on the ground. Its hopping movement is what distinguishes it from a dove.