Spanning more than 3000 km from northeast to southwest, the Japanese archipelago comprises four major islands and thousands of rocks and islets that stretch from Taiwan to the Russian Far East, and encompass a wide range of habitats. Thus, Alpine meadows and Arctic landscapes in the north give way to subtropical forests in the south. These environments are home to variously some of the most dramatic and little-known birds in Asia. Steller's Sea-eagle and Blakiston's Fish-owl on frozen Hokkaido. Some of the world's rarest seabirds like Short-tailed Albatross and Bryan's Shearwater on the country's furthest-flung outposts. Internationally important numbers of wintering cranes. Exciting endemics like Lidth's Jay, Amami Woodcock and Okinawa Rail on the southern islands. A suite of summer visitors ranging from the spectacular Fairy Pitta to the enigmatic Ijima's Leaf-warbler. Few countries possess the ornithological allure of Japan!

FEATURES: Taxonomy follows the HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Detailed texts covering status, habitat and behavior, age, sex and geographical variation, voice, and confusion species. Over 1500 illustrations covering all species and distinctive subspecies, birds in flight, males and females, juveniles and non-breeding plumages, where appropriate. QR code for each species, linking to the Internet Bird Collection gallery of photos, videos and sounds. More than 500 full-color range maps for all species other than vagrants. Well-marked subspecies groups receive full accounts, and the distributions of subspecies breeding in the region are clearly mapped. Local species names included. 737 species; 21 endemics or near-endemics, 21 introduced, 210 vagrants. c. 1500 illustrations and over 500 distribution maps.