Uguisu

What is Uguisu?

Uguisu, also known as Japanese Bush Warbler or simply Japanese Nightingale, is a bird named based on its beautifully distinct song that can be heard throughout Japan during spring.This small bird is natively found in Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea and Northern Philippines. It is related to other small birds such as Bushtits and Nightingales, it has similar appearance too but it is slightly larger. Unlike European Nightingales, Uguisu don't sing at night. And due to its beautiful call and propensity to sing, it became a common caged bird.The Uguisu tends to be found in mountainous regions at the varying altitudes of both lowland hills and high up in the mountain forests, and are known to move further down the mountains during the winter. The Uguisu is found in seasonal forests and bamboo thickets where there is plenty of foliage to hide amongst, along with an ample supply of food. The Uguisu was first described as a documented species by Heinrich von Kittlitz in 1830.

Uguisu Anatomy and Appearance

The Uguisu is a small-sized bird that is known for it's fairly dull coloration, particularly in comparison with the beauty of it's song. They tend to be olive-green or light brown in colour with darker plumage towards the tips of their wings and tail. The tail of the Uguisu is relatively long in relation to it's body size and is comprised of straight feathers, making it similar in appearance to Long-Tailed Tits to which the Uguisu are thought to be closely related. Like other species of small perching bird, the Uguisu also has thin legs with long, clawed toes to help them grip onto branches more easily. The Uguisu has small dark eyes with pale stripes above each one, and a straight, tan coloured beak.

Uguisu Behaviour

Uguisu is a very secretive bird, it tends to hide in shadow of the surrounding foliage of trees during day time, it is often heard by human than seen. Just like Nightingales, Uguisu is a relatively solitary bird, and they only come together during spring which is their breeding season. And during winter, Uguisu are quiet, making low chirping noise in the bare trees, and as soon as spring season arrives, this birds break into song to attract mate, and this behavior of Uguisu became a sign for Japanese the incoming spring season. Some Uguisu that are living in some other area, they tend to become migratory birds, flying between countries searching for a much warmer environment. This is most commonly to escape from the cold mountain winters, particularly on the large Japanese island of Hokkaido in the north.

Uguisu Reproduction and Life Cycles

The Uguisu breeding season begins in the early spring when the males break into beautiful song in order to try and attract a female to mate with. Like Nightingales, males and females are fairly similar in appearance although the female tends to be slightly smaller in size. The female Uguisu constructs a cup-shaped nest in a dense thicket out of twigs, leaves and moss where she lays up to 5 small eggs. The Uguisu female sits on her eggs to keep them warm and to protect them for between 2 and 3 weeks when the chicks hatch. The Uguisu chicks are fed and cared for by their mother until they fledge at around 2 weeks old. The Uguisu tends to live for between 2 and 5 years in the wild.

Uguisu Diet and Prey

The Uguisu is an omnivorous bird, meaning they feed on variety of insects and plants. Like most of its small bird relatives, Uguisu predominantly feed on insects such as Flies, Grasshopper, moths, worms, butterflies, and small beetles that are present in the forest. They also known to forage for berries, fruits and grains. During the winter season, due to the cold environment, Uguisu find it difficult to such weather condition, they also are having difficulty with food supply since during those season insect population tends to decline. Due to the shortage of food, Uguisu tends to go lowlands in search for food. In captivity and farms, they are fed with organic seeds.

Uguisu Threats

Uguisu's population are threaten by multiple factors such as weather, but it is mostly affected by human activities. In present, deforestation is one common threat to their population, their habitat are being destroyed, and even their common prey's habitat are being affected, rendering them short of food supply. Poaching is also a major threat to their numbers, they are often poached to be kept as pet due to its ability to sing in a magnificent way. They are also kept in Nightingale farms for the sole purpose of collecting their droppings, which is used as beauty regimen.

Uguisu Interesting Facts and Features

The beautiful song of the Uguisu is thought to not only be to do with finding a mate, but it is also thought to be a declaration of territory to other individuals in the area. For centuries, this birds are tracked for the purpose of collecting their excrement to be used as facial cream or facial mask. This mask that are made for Nightingale droppings are commonly used by Geisha and Kabuki actors since Edo period. It is thought to give them more supple, softer, radiantly glowing and whiter skin. The Uguisu is seen as a sign of spring coming in Japan and is therefore also known by other names such as the Spring Bird and the Hanami Bird.

Uguisu Relationship with Humans

Throughout much of it's native Japan, the Uguisu has been depicted in both art and poetry because of the beauty of it's characteristic song. Numerous things under its name. An uguisu-jō (jō = woman) is a female announcer at Japanese baseball games, or a woman employed to advertise products and sales with a microphone outside retail stores. These women are employed because of their beautiful 'warbling' voices. They are also employed to make public announcements for politicians in the lead-up to elections.

In Japanese architecture there is a type of floor known as "uguisubari", which is generally translated into English as "nightingale floor". These floors have squeaking floorboards that resemble the Japanese bush warbler's low chirping, and are meant to be so designed to warn sleepers of the approach of ninja. Examples can be seen at Eikan-dō temple, Nijō Castle and Chion-in temple in Kyoto. Due to the use of their guano as a skin enhancer they are now caged so that it can be more easily collected to ship all around the world.

Uguisu Droppings, history and uses.

The use of Uguisu droppings were introduced to Japanese by the Koreans during the Edo period. It is primarily used as dye remover on Kimono during those times, and it became widely used to the same purpose all throughout Japan. Being a potent dry remover, Geisha thought of using it to remove their heavy makeup, which are usually made from lead and zinc. Makeup made from lead and zinc are known to cause skin problems, as well as other health problems. Nightingale dropping was very effective in thoroughly removing their makeup and as well as cleansing their skin, but they also noticed with regular use, their skin became softer, radiantly glowing and healthier. Since then, it became popular as beauty regimen in ancient Japan. Sadly, due to its high demand and difficulty to collect, its price soared making it one of the most expensive beauty regimen in the past, and it became unaffordable for average individuals.

Recently, the use of such technique in creating facial cream out of Nightingale droppings were revived, and it became widely known all throughout the globe for its effectiveness and its benefits. High end spas in New York are offering a Uguisu poop facial for $180 per session and such service is now being offered all throughout America and Europe. Raw powedered and treated Uguisu droppings are being sold by online stores as well for $20 per ounce. Its popularity is even known and acknowledge by high profile people such as Victoria Beckham, whom admitted that Bird poop facial as her beauty secret. Countless people are now using this beauty regimen and due to the advancement and of technology, the availability of this regimen became more affordable now. You can know more about products made from Uguisu, by simply clicking www.birdpoopfacial.com