Eophona personata
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The Japanese grosbeak (Eophona personata) or Ikaru is a finch native to the East Palearctic. It is also sometimes referred to as the Japanese or masked hawfinch due to superficial similarities to the well-known Eurasian species.
This is a large finch, with a reported weight of 80 g (2.8 oz) (for a single male) and a length of 18 to 23 cm (7.1 to 9.1 in). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 10.2 to 11.7 cm (4.0 to 4.6 in), the tail is 8.3 to 9.5 cm (3.3 to 3.7 in) and the culmen is 2.1 to 2.6 cm (0.83 to 1.02 in). The signature feature of the Japanese grosbeak is its large, pointed bright yellow bill. The adult grosbeak has a large black marking extending from the nape to the chin and ear-coverts to the neck. The side of the neck is a contrasting pale whitish grey. The bird's underside is a more dull grey. The back is greyish-brown while the flanks are washed with a gingery or tawny-brown colour. The wings and tail are black but for a white patch on the inner-coverts and band of white in the middle of the primaries, which is visible in flight. Juveniles are a duller grey overall with no black on head. Wikipedia →
Recording0:11
Japan · 2026
Hunter Stevens · iNaturalist · CC0
Recording0:04
Japan · 2024
© chiffon14 · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:26
Japan · 2025
© ITÔ, Hiroki · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beijing Wildlife Park | 🇨🇳 China |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Grosbeak sighting in Sapporo on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 63rd most-seen of the 72 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Grosbeak in Sapporo on a given day, against under 5% in January–April and June–November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Japanese Grosbeak sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 16
Of the 16 cities where we can rate Japanese Grosbeak sightings, Sapporo ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Sendai (Japan, about 10%), Osaka (Japan, about 10%) and Qingdao (China, about 10%).
Same family: Fringillidae
The closest relatives of the Japanese Grosbeak that you can see in Sapporo (family Fringillidae, Finches, Euphonias, and Allies) are Oriental Greenfinch (about 40%), Hawfinch (about 10%) and Eurasian Bullfinch (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Japanese Grosbeak is recorded against all the birds logged in Sapporo (7 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
