Release of crested ibises in Honshu: Hope for birds flying high with light red wings over Noto

Editorial

15:33 JST, March 5, 2025

When will this rare bird, a symbol of Japan, once again fly over this nation? A new challenge is about to begin.

The Environment Ministry has decided to release toki crested ibises, designated as a special natural monument of Japan, in Honshu for the first time. Until now, the birds have only been released on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture. But in June 2026, 15 to 20 birds will be released as a first step on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture.

The Noto Peninsula, like Sado Island, is rich in nature. The area is likely suitable for the birds, which forage for food in rice paddies and roost in the surrounding forests. In 1970, the last toki bird in Honshu was captured on the Noto Peninsula and transferred to a protective facility on Sado Island.

More than a few people are said to remember the sight of the birds flying over Noto at that time. In addition to the rich environment, the fact that the people of Ishikawa Prefecture are eagerly awaiting the birds may be a reason why Noto was deemed to be a suitable place for the release.

The Noto area is on the road to recovery from the damage caused by the major earthquake in 2024. The reconstruction plan compiled by the prefectural government calls for the “realization of a Noto where crested ibises fly.” The hope is that the birds will become a symbol of recovery.

The number of crested ibises has rapidly decreased since the Meiji era (1868-1912) due to overhunting. As their habitat also deteriorated as a result of deforestation and other development, they went to the verge of extinction.

In 1981, the last five remaining wild birds on Sado Island were taken into protection and a shift was made to artificial breeding. However, by 2003, all had died out, and Japan’s indigenous crested ibises became extinct.

Amid these circumstances, efforts have been made since 1999 to increase the population through such means as artificial breeding by a pair sent from China.

A little fewer than 600 toki birds are currently living in the wild after repeated releases. However, as the population grows, the breeding rate tends to plateau. There is also concern about the lack of genetic diversity as the birds breed from a small number of parent birds.

In order to maintain the species, it is important to reduce the risk of another extinction by dispersing the flock to locations other than Sado Island. In addition to working to get the birds settled in the Noto Peninsula, the ministry should begin to release crested ibises in the next candidate sites, such as Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, and make efforts to expand their habitats.

Crested ibises, whose scientific name is Nipponia nippon, used to be widespread in Japan. The color of their light red feathers, a hue called “toki-iro” in Japanese, is beautiful, and the image of them flying in the sky is graceful.

Areas such as fields, rice paddies and forests in close proximity to human settlements are part of the traditional Japanese landscape. Creating a habitable environment for toki birds will lead to the creation of a comfortable region for people as well. It is necessary to create a rich national land where people can coexist with crested ibises.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 5, 2025)