An Identification Guide to the Gulls of Japan [Japanese]

About this book

Language: Japanese witn English and scientific nomenclature

Seagulls are relatively easy to meet if you go anywhere near the sea, but observing them properly is actually surprisingly difficult. Adult seagulls look very different in summer and winter, but are not so difficult to identify. The difficulty is that even members of the same species change throughout their maturation (approximately 1 to 4 years), and their appearance is completely different from that of adult birds. In actual observations, there are multiple appearances of the same species, but it is extremely difficult to distinguish when other species are mixed. For this reason, gull observation is considered to be very difficult among birdwatchers.

In this book, the authors will explain how to observe seagulls, focusing on those found in Japan. They use a search chart that charts the size of seagulls and the differences in colour and shape of each part so that beginners can understand how to identify seagulls. In addition, they explain in detail the identification points that are difficult to observe in seagulls, such as differences in age, as well as points to identify similar species.

In addition to the pages for each species of gulls, they also provide information for mixed-species groups, world gulls, sex differences in gulls, and information on wow to see the moulting state of large gulls. An Identification Guide to the Gulls of Japan makes it easy to understand the difficulty of observing seagulls. Recommended for those who are interested in seagulls and want to observe them carefully, or who want to get into the world of birdwatching.

Summary in Japanese:
海の近くに行けば、比較的容易に出会うことのできるカモメですが、その観察は簡単だと思われがちです。
しかし、実際はカモメの観察はとても難しいのです。

カモメの成鳥は、夏と冬で大きく外見が異なりますが、その識別はそれほど難しくはありません。
難しいのは、同じ種でも、成長過程(おおよそ1~4年)で刻々と姿が変わり、その姿が成鳥とまったく異なる点になります。
実際の観察では、同一種の群れで中でも群れの中で複数の外見があり、さらに他の種が混じると判別が極端に難しくなります。
そのためカモメの観察は、バードウオッチャーの間では、とても難しく奥が深いとされています。

本書では、カモメの観察方法を解説した上で、初心者の方がカモメの識別方法が分かるよう、カモメの大きさや各部位の色彩や形の違いをチャートにした検索図を用います。
さらに、カモメを観察をする上で難しいとされる識別のポイントを、各年齢における差異、類似種の見極めのポイントなど、詳しく解説します。

このほかカモメの種ごとのページ以外にも、「雑種」や「世界のカモメ」「カモメ類の雌雄差」「大型カモメ類の換羽状態の見方」などの項目も設け解説しました。
カモメの観察の難しさを分かりやすくしてくれるるのが、この「日本のカモメ観察図鑑」です。
カモメに興味があり、じっくり観察したい人、バードウオッチの深い世界に入り込みたい人に、おすすめです。

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