Japan Ramsar wetland
Lake Tōfutsu
205 bird species recorded; the most in May.
Soica2001 ( talk ) · Public domain
This month here
60 species in January.44 species in February.59 species in March.95 species in April.137 species in May.107 species in June.104 species in July.107 species in August.122 species in September.118 species in October.82 species in November.70 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.










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- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
205 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 205Speciesrecorded more than once
- 148Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 12ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 10,055Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 12Raptors
- 1Owls
- 42Waders
- 16Gulls & seabirds
- 32Ducks & geese
- 14Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 68Songbirds
- 19Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 205 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors12 species
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Steller's Sea-eagleHaliaeetus pelagicusVU
- White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Japanese BuzzardButeo japonicus
- Eastern Marsh-harrierCircus spilonotus
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
Owls1 species
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
Waders42 species
- Gray-tailed TattlerTringa brevipes
- Japanese SnipeGallinago hardwickiiNT
- Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollisNT
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
- Far Eastern CurlewNumenius madagascariensis
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Long-toed StintCalidris subminuta
- Charadrius mongolusCharadrius mongolus
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Little ringed ploverCharadrius dubius
- Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellusVU
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataVU
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Little CurlewNumenius minutus
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- Spoon-billed SandpiperCalidris pygmaeaCR
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
Gulls & seabirds16 species
- Slaty-backed GullLarus schistisagus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Black-tailed GullLarus crassirostris
- Common GullLarus canus
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Vega GullLarus vegae
- Glaucous-winged GullLarus glaucescens
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Rhinoceros AukletCerorhinca monocerata
- Pacific LoonGavia pacifica
- Black-throated DiverGavia arctica
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Common MurreUria aalge
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
Ducks & geese32 species
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Tundra Bean GooseAnser serrirostris
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Harlequin DuckHistrionicus histrionicus
- SmewMergellus albellus
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Chinese Spot-billed DuckAnas zonorhyncha
- Falcated DuckMareca falcata
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
- Stejneger's ScoterMelanitta stejnegeri
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Taiga Bean GooseAnser fabalis
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Baikal TealSibirionetta formosa
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
Herons, ibises & grebes14 species
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Japanese CormorantPhalacrocorax capillatus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Pelagic CormorantPhalacrocorax pelagicus
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Black-faced SpoonbillPlatalea minorVU
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
Storks & cranes1 species
- Red-crowned CraneGrus japonensisVU
Songbirds68 species
- Grey-capped GreenfinchChloris sinica
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- Stejneger's StonechatSaxicola stejnegeri
- Large-billed CrowCorvus macrorhynchos
- Brown-eared BulbulHypsipetes amaurotis
- Cinereous TitParus cinereus
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Marsh TitPoecile palustris
- Chestnut-eared BuntingEmberiza fucata
- Masked buntingEmberiza personata
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- Black-browed Reed WarblerAcrocephalus bistrigiceps
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- Long-tailed RosefinchCarpodacus sibiricus
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Japanese Bush WarblerHorornis diphone
- Siberian RubythroatLuscinia calliope
- Middendorff's Grasshopper-warblerLocustella ochotensis
- White-cheeked StarlingSpodiopsar cineraceus
- Poecile variusPoecile varius
- Eastern Crowned Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus coronatus
- Lanceolated WarblerLocustella lanceolata
- Bull-headed ShrikeLanius bucephalus
- Chestnut-cheeked StarlingAgropsar philippensis
- Passer cinnamomeusPasser cinnamomeus
- Willow TitPoecile montanus
- Turdus eunomusTurdus eunomus
- Narcissus FlycatcherFicedula narcissina
- Sakhalin Grasshopper WarblerLocustella amnicola
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Black-faced buntingEmberiza spodocephala
- Asian StubtailUrosphena squameiceps
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Zosterops japonicusZosterops japonicus
- Janpanese ThrushTurdus cardis
- Eurasian TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
- Brown-headed ThrushTurdus chrysolaus
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Meadow BuntingEmberiza cioides
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Blue-and-white FlycatcherCyanoptila cyanomelana
- Asian House MartinDelichon dasypus
- Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis
- Muscicapa latirostrisMuscicapa latirostris
- Japanese WaxwingBombycilla japonicaNT
- Japanese WagtailMotacilla grandis
- Oriental Reed WarblerAcrocephalus orientalis
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
- Rustic BuntingEmberiza rusticaNT
- Japanese GrosbeakEophona personata
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Pine GrosbeakPinicola enucleator
- Russet SparrowPasser rutilans
- Brown DipperCinclus pallasii
- Kamchatka Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus examinandus
- Northern ShrikeLanius borealis
- Turdus naumanniTurdus naumanni
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
Other birds19 species
- Oriental Turtle DoveStreptopelia orientalis
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Japanese Pygmy WoodpeckerYungipicus kizuki
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- White-bellied Green-PigeonTreron sieboldii
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Oriental CuckooCuculus optatus
- Eastern Water RailRallus indicus
- CootFulica atra
- Pacific SwiftApus pacificus
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- Needle-tailed SwiftHirundapus caudacutus
- White-backed WoodpeckerDendrocopos leucotos
- Grey-headed WoodpeckerPicus canus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Crested KingfisherMegaceryle lugubris
- Black WoodpeckerDryocopus martius
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in May.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan-4°/-9°52 mm
- Feb-4°/-10°40 mm
- Mar1°/-6°49 mm
- Apr7°/0°54 mm
- May12°/5°76 mm
- Jun17°/10°86 mm
- Jul21°/14°103 mm
- Aug23°/16°134 mm
- Sep20°/14°109 mm
- Oct14°/7°98 mm
- Nov6°/1°68 mm
- Dec-1°/-5°69 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Lake Tōfutsu.
Lake in Japan
Lake Tōfutsu is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Japan.
205 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 10,055 open records.
The most recorded are the Grey-capped Greenfinch, the Mallard and the Black Kite.
91 species come for the summer, 52 for the winter and 5 only pass through.
12 are threatened worldwide, including Steller's Sea-eagle, Grey Plover and Red-crowned Crane.
The most species are recorded in May.

Get there and watch
- 浜小清水前浜キャンプ場campsite · 4.1 km · 3 within 10 km
- 樹林place to stay · 3.5 km · 2 within 10 km
- Koshimizunearest town · 9.8 km in a straight line
- Memanbetsu Airport (MMB)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 20 km in a straight lineCar hire at KUH airport (Kushiro)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.

Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 3visitor centres within 6 km濤沸湖水鳥・湿地センター, 小清水町ツーリストセンター
- 1viewpoints within 5 km北浜駅展望台
- 7car parks within 3 km
- 3campsites within 10 km浜小清水前浜キャンプ場, 果樹園キャンプ, ふくろうの渓谷
- 2places to stay within 10 km樹林, ホテル ひがしもこと
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Lake Tōfutsu.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q6478187) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 10,055 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Lakeyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.






