Plum blossoms and a Japanese bush warbler

Uguisu (Japanese bush warblers) often appear in gardens and trees in towns and villages during winter and spring. Ume trees blossom in very early spring before many other plants begin to have flowers. Therefore, Japanese bush warblers and plum blossoms are popularly featured in haiku (Japanese traditional poem) composition as seasonal words representing spring.
A Japanese bush warbler perching on a plum brunch is a typical motif that depicts a scene on an early spring day. In fact, what we see on plum brunches are in many cases white-eyes, not bush warblers. They are often confused because of the similarity in appearance.
Since the combination of the two motifs representing spring is highly impressive, “a bush warbler and plum blossom” has been a favorite theme for Japanese poets and painters since the Nara period in the 8th century. Thus, for the Japanese, bush warblers and plum blossoms are familiar and essential spring features.