Irenidae - 叶鹎科 - コノハドリ科

The leafbirds are classed as the family Chloropseidae in Howard-Moore 2003.

1. General names

Chinese: The leafbirds are known in Chinese as 叶鹎 yè-bēi or 'leaf bulbuls', suggesting a resemblance to the bulbuls. Irena puella is known as the 和平鸟 hépíng-niǎo or 'peace bird'.

Japanese: The Irenidae do not occur in Japan. The Japanese name for the birds, コノハドリ (木の葉鳥) ko-no-ha-dori ('leaf bird') may have been derived from the English name.

Vietnamese: The Vietnamese name for the leaf birds is Chim xanh 'green bird', reflecting their bright green colour. Irena puella is called Chim lam or 'blue bird'.

2. Species names

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SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH		CHINESE			JAPANESE		VIETNAMESE
Latin	English	Chinese	Chinese (Taiwan)	Other Ch	Japanese	Other J	Vietnamese	Other V
Irena puella	Asian fairy-bluebird Asian blue-backed fairy bluebird Blue-mantled fairy bluebird (Cheng) Blue-backed fairy bluebird	和平鸟 hépíng-niǎo 'peace bird'		亚洲和平鸟 Yàzhōu hépíng-niǎo 'Asian peace bird'	ルリコノハドリ (瑠璃木の葉鳥 or 琉璃木の葉鳥) ruri ko-no-ha dori 'lapis lazuli leaf bird'		Chim lam 'blue bird'
Chloropsis sonnerati	Greater green leafbird	大绿叶鹎 dà lǜ yè-bēi 'large green leaf bulbul'			オオコノハドリ (大青羽木の葉鳥) ō ko-no-ha dori 'large leaf bird'
Chloropsis cyanopogon	Lesser green leafbird	小绿叶鹎 xiǎo lǜ yè-bēi 'small green leaf bulbul'			コノハドリ (木の葉鳥) ko-no-ha dori 'leaf bird'
Chloropsis cochinchinensis	Blue-winged leafbird	蓝翅叶鹎 lán-chì yè-bēi 'blue-winged leaf bulbul'			アオバネコノハドリ (青羽木の葉鳥) ao-bane ko-no-ha dori 'blue-winged leaf bird'		Chim xanh Nam bộ 'Southern green bird'
Chloropsis aurifrons	Golden-fronted leafbird	金额叶鹎 jīn-é yè-bēi 'golden-browed leaf bulbul'			キビタイコノハドリ (黄額木の葉鳥) ki-bitai ko-no-ha dori 'yellow-forehead leaf bird'		Chim xanh trán vàng 'golden forehead green bird'
Chloropsis hardwickii/ Chloropsis hardwickei	Orange-bellied leafbird	橙腹叶鹎 chéng-fù yè-bēi 'orange-bellied leaf bulbul'		橙腹木叶鸟 chéng-fù mù-yè-niǎo 'orange-bellied tree-leaf bird'	アカハラコノハドリ (赤腹木の葉鳥) aka-hara ko-no-ha dori 'red-bellied leaf bird'		Chim xanh hông vàng 'golden-flanked green bird'

3. Notes

The distribution of the Irenidae in East Asia can be found at Tzung-Su Ding's Distribution of Irenidae in East Asia.

The term Chim xanh 'green bird' is listed in Bui Phong's Vietnamese-English dictionary as 'green pigeon' and a symbol of lovers.

4. Cultural Notes

The Chim lam or 'blue bird' in Vietnamese tradition is a messenger, often between lovers. The name and associated tradition are derived from the Chinese 蓝鸟 lán niǎo, which is often translated into English as 'fairy blue bird'. However, the 'blue bird' of tradition was not necessarily Irena puella.