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Kokucho(The national bird)/ Buntfasan


Kokucho(The national bird)

The bird that represents Japan is the pheasant. Native to Japan, the pheasant has been a familiar bird to the people since ancient times and was designated kokucho in 1947. It lives in wooded areas and grassy fields away from human habitation. Its main features including, for males, red faces, dark green bodies and long tails, and for females, light brown color with black spots; females are smaller and have shorter tails than males.

In fall and winter they were objects of hunting and from ancient times were highly valued for eating. They also were often used as celebratory material for weddings.

Among birds, they are considered the finest; because of the sorrow in the cries of males and females for each other, they are taken as symbols in classical Japanese poems and poems in seventeen syllables of the feelings of love for one's family.

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