A crested Ibis marked with painted wings flies as it was released into wild during an event in Hakui, Japan, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (Kazushi Kurihara/Kyodo News via AP)
Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino, second right, Crown Princess Kiko, right, and other officials watch a crested Ibis marked with painted wings released into wild during an event in Hakui, Japan, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP)
A crested Ibis marked with painted wings flies as it was released into wild during an event in Hakui, Japan, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (Kazushi Kurihara/Kyodo News via AP)
Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino, second right, Crown Princess Kiko, right, and other officials watch a crested Ibis marked with painted wings released into wild during an event in Hakui, Japan, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP)
TOKYO (AP) — Eight crested ibises were released into the wild in a north-central Japanese town, decades after the birds went extinct in the country.
The endangered birds took off from each of their wooden cages at a ceremony Sunday in Hakui city in the Noto region, where they were last seen in the wild.
Residents cheered when the birds soared into the sky the moment Crown Prince Akishino, his wife Kiko and other officials cut a ribbon around the cages.
The eight birds have been raised at a conservation center on Sado Island in the neighboring prefecture of Niigata following a successful captive-breeding program. Ten more birds are waiting to be released.
The white birds, called Toki in Japan, are native to East Asia and admired for their orange-pink hues under their wings and bright red marks around their eyes.
The birds went extinct on the Honshu main island in the 1970s, threatened by overhunting and environmental degradation. The last remaining Japanese native ibis died in 2003 on Sado Island.
But the birds came back to life thanks to China’s support for breeding. In 1999, artificial breeding by a pair donated from China successfully led to the first Japanese crested ibis chick born in captivity, according to the Environment Ministry.
The breeding and conservation efforts have since helped the recovery of the birds’ population. In 2008, 10 of the birds raised at the Sado conservation center were released into the wild on the island, where their population has increased to around 500, the ministry says.
The release of the beloved birds on Sunday was also seen as a good omen for the Noto region, which is still recovering from the deadly 2024 earthquake.
The Associated Press
Get the latest from The Canadian Press News in your inbox. Select the emails you’re interested in below.
The Atlantic News Today newsletter keeps you updated on the latest stories from Eastern Canada . It is sent from Monday to Friday.
Top News Today newsletter delivers the day’s essential stories from the Maritimes and top national headlines, directly to your inbox every day of the week.
Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
The Canadian Press is a member of the International Fact-Checking Network
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Account processing issue – the email address may already exist
Must be at least 8 characters, not contain repeating characters (e.g., 111), and not contain sequential numbers (e.g., 123).
The Atlantic News Today newsletter keeps you updated on the latest stories from Eastern Canada . It is sent from Monday to Friday.
Top News Today newsletter delivers the day’s essential stories from the Maritimes and top national headlines, directly to your inbox every day of the week.
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
+ Tax
Secure & Encrypted
Must be at least 8 characters, not contain repeating characters (e.g., 111), and not contain sequential numbers (e.g., 123).
Secure transaction. Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.
