Bringing the Crested Ibis Back to Japan's Skies

Japan's last wild crested ibis (toki) died in October 2003, a species pushed out by pesticide use and wetland loss. Starting with birds gifted by China in 1999, breeding centers on Sado Island built up a captive population, and Japan's Ministry of the Environment, Niigata Prefecture, Sado City, and the Toki Conservation Fund Promotion Committee began releasing captive-bred birds into the wild in September 2008. Rice farmers on Sado adopted 'ibis-friendly' farming methods, cutting pesticide use to rebuild the wetland food chain the birds need, and by 2012 wild-hatched chicks had appeared for the first time in 36 years. As of the end of 2025, an estimated 473 crested ibis live wild on Sado, with naturally-born birds now outnumbering the ones originally released.