Crested ibis conservation efforts expand in Japan

Efforts to restore the wild population of the crested ibis, a special natural monument in Japan, continue to show progress through successful breeding and long-distance migration.

In Izumo City, four crested ibises—including three chicks born between May and June 2026 and one adult female—were transferred to the Sado Toki Protection Center in Niigata Prefecture. This transfer marks the 70th bird sent from Izumo to Sado since the city began its conservation program in 2011. The birds will undergo training for reintroduction into the wild, with Izumo City planning its first release in western Japan by June 2027.

Separately, the Ministry of the Environment confirmed that a wild crested ibis, believed to have been born on Sado Island, was spotted in Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, in late August. This sighting represents the longest recorded flight distance for the species within Japan, traveling over 300 kilometers from Niigata. This marks the first time a wild ibis has been confirmed in Shiga Prefecture since the species went extinct in the wild in Japan in 2003.