Japanese Rice Bird Information
The Japanese rice bird is also known as the Java Sparrow, Java Temple Bird and the Paddy Bird. The rice bird's scientific name is Padda Oryzivora. In most parts of Japan, the bird is seen as a pest to farmers as the birds feed on agricultural crops.
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Size and Appearance
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The Japanese rice bird is a large finch that grows to at least 5 1/2 inches long. The bird has gray plumage that becomes pinkish on the belly and white at the tail; the beak is pinkish.
Sex
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Male and female Japanese rice birds are almost impossible to differentiate in appearance. The male of the species produces song and performs a small mating dance toward the female. In the breeding season, the beak of the male becomes a reddish color with the top of the beak, or culmen, becoming ridged and swollen.
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Breeding
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The female Japanese rice bird produces between four and eight eggs during a breeding season with the majority of the birds hatching, as the bird is known as a rapid breeder.
Restrictions
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Many parts of the United States and Europe have restrictions on the import of the Japanese rice bird amid fears of the bird's favored habitat of agricultural areas and its reliance on farmland crops.
Endangered Species
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Despite its reputation as a rapid breeder, the Japanese rice bird has made its way onto the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of wild fauna and flora list of endangered species. The striking gray plumage of the bird has made it a popular species for collectors and breeders.
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