Crested Ibis in Japan

Chlidonias

Chlidonias

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Exciting news for those of us who, when young, thought this species would be extinct before we made adulthood.

As a bit of background, at the start of the 1980s there were just five known birds of this species, all in Japan. These five were captured in 1981 and placed in captivity in an attempt to breed them but they were all so old that they never did so. Then, in a miraculous reprieve, a tiny colony (just four adult birds) was found in the middle of China. Today there are about 500-odd birds.

And now they are back in Japan again.

Second-generation ?wild? crested ibis chick leaves nest - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun
7 June 2014

For the first time since the species went extinct in Japan, a crested ibis chick born in the wild to a parent also born in nature left its nest here, the Environment Ministry said.

The chick is a descendent of birds brought over from China in an attempt to revive the crested ibis population in Japan. The last wild crested ibis in Japan died in 2003.

The chick flew from its nest on a Japanese cedar branch about 20 meters aboveground early on June 6, briefly landed on a nearby branch, and then returned to its nest.

A staff member of the ministry captured video footage of the scene.

The chick’s mother was born in the wild and its father was born at the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center. The baby bird was born in the natural environment on Sado Island.

Two crested ibis couples include one partner that was born in the wild in Japan. The two pairs have a total of five chicks.

The Japanese government has designated the crested ibis species, known as “toki” in Japanese, a special natural treasure.

In 2008, the ministry began to release into the wild crested ibises that were born in captivity at the conservation center. The ibises were bred from parent birds that were borrowed or were gifts from the Chinese government.
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It is a welcome news item and testament to the fact that a well-planned recovery effort can make that difference. Equally important, is that in many species transboundary issues complicate conservation action. It is good to know the cooperation between P.R. China and Japan has been more stable on this effort throughout the years. To come back from just 9 birds (including those 5 old Japanese cresteds) to over 500 birds is an achievement of some proportion.

Thanks for sharing!
 
Must be one of the smallest-sized bird populations to sustain a turn around.(from four individuals)

Next might be N.Z. Black robin( five individuals but mainly one pair.)

....or the Laysan teal.
 
I'd say the Black Robin is a greater turnaround, as one fertile female and four other individuals (cannot recall how many were male and how many were infertile female) is a more tenuous population in my opinion than was the Chinese population of the crested ibis, which in 1981 numbered in total seven individuals - not four as Chli states - comprising four adults and three juveniles.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
I'd say the Black Robin is a greater turnaround, as one fertile female and four other individuals (cannot recall how many were male and how many were infertile female) is a more tenuous population in my opinion
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I believe the last five were three males and two females. I think both females did breed but success was chiefly due to the one female 'old blue'(from its ring) whose remarkabe lifespan allowed her to lay plenty of clutches- some of which were fostered on tomtits etc.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
I'd say the Black Robin is a greater turnaround, as one fertile female and four other individuals (cannot recall how many were male and how many were infertile female) is a more tenuous population in my opinion than was the Chinese population of the crested ibis, which in 1981 numbered in total seven individuals - not four as Chli states - comprising four adults and three juveniles.
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yes I phrased that bit really badly. I meant it as the adult population was just four birds, not that being the total number of individuals in the colony.
 
I would say that I'm glatt both species - crested ibis and black robin - have made it ( for the moment ) !
 
In some way I mself have contributed to this succes ;) ! At the time I was working at Walsrode ( must be in 1987 or 1988 ) a group of Chinese scientists and zoo-keepers from Bejing Zoo ( at that time still known as Peking Zoo ) came to Walsrode to learn about hand-raising ibisses. At that time every year large numbers of several ibis-species were hand-raised at Walsrode. It was part of my job to do the hand-raising during the summer-time and I had to deal a lot with the Chinese zoo-keepers. The Chinese people wanted to learn the hand-raising to use it in their breeding-station for the Crested ibis and they did their job well. Its these Chinese birds which were send to Japan and used there for the re-introduction-programm.
 
vogelcommando said:
In some way I mself have contributed to this succes ;) ! At the time I was working at Walsrode ( must be in 1987 or 1988 ) a group of Chinese scientists and zoo-keepers from Bejing Zoo ( at that time still known as Peking Zoo ) came to Walsrode to learn about hand-raising ibisses. At that time every year large numbers of several ibis-species were hand-raised at Walsrode. It was part of my job to do the hand-raising during the summer-time and I had to deal a lot with the Chinese zoo-keepers. The Chinese people wanted to learn the hand-raising to use it in their breeding-station for the Crested ibis and they did their job well. Its these Chinese birds which were send to Japan and used there for the re-introduction-programm.
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Well done and thank you, vogelcommando:D
 
I'm planning to go to Japan later this year and was wondering where I could see Crested Ibis. Is there anywhere fairly close to Tokyo?
 
Goura said:
I'm planning to go to Japan later this year and was wondering where I could see Crested Ibis. Is there anywhere fairly close to Tokyo?
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the only ones on public display in a zoo are at Ishikawa Zoo, which is on the opposite coast to Tokyo but easily reached.
Endangered crested ibis to go on display outside Sado：The Asahi Shimbun

The reintroduced wild ones are all on Sado Island which is somewhat north of Ishikawa. Sado can be reached by ferry, and there is a breeding centre there which can be visited.
See here, for example: Toki-no-mori Park
 
Chlidonias said:
the only ones on public display in a zoo are at Ishikawa Zoo, which is on the opposite coast to Tokyo but easily reached.
Endangered crested ibis to go on display outside Sado：The Asahi Shimbun

The reintroduced wild ones are all on Sado Island which is somewhat north of Ishikawa. Sado can be reached by ferry, and there is a breeding centre there which can be visited.
See here, for example: Toki-no-mori Park
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Thanks for that information. I've taken a look at google maps - is it feasible as a day trip? I have no idea of distances in Japan
 
Goura said:
Thanks for that information. I've taken a look at google maps - is it feasible as a day trip? I have no idea of distances in Japan
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a long day, I'd say so. Take a look at the following link which has modes of transport. There are numerous flights daily between Tokyo and Ishikawa. Train seems to take between two and four hours. Bus or taxi probably six or so hours.
How to Get There / Tourism ISHIKAWA Official Ishikawa Travel Guide

I have no idea on costs for any of those options, but probably train would be your best method.
 
Thanks for that information. I've received quite a lot of advice from my Japanese students on this but am thinking it might be an overnight trip
 
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