No account of the history of nature conservation in Japan would be complete without mentioning the Japanese Crested Ibis, known as the toki in Japanese. It is widely regarded as one of Japan’s most symbolic birds, and its scientific name is Nipponia nippon.
The toki is a large waterbird measuring about 80 centimetres in length with a wingspan exceeding 130 centimetres.
Its plumage is mostly white in colour, and its appearance is somewhat reminiscent of the Australian White Ibis, a familiar sight in many Australian cities. The toki’s wings and tail feathers have a delicate pinkish hue, and watching it soar through the sky is truly a beautiful sight.
Historically, the species was found across Japan, China, the Korean Peninsula, and Taiwan. In Japan, the toki once widely inhabited rural areas, wetlands, and other natural environments.
However, from the late nineteenth century to the twentieth century, its population declined rapidly due to overhunting for its feathers, agricultural expansion, and a reduction in food sources caused by the widespread use of pesticides.
The habitats that once supported the toki were rich natural environments shared not only by the toki itself but also by a wide variety of other species.
For this reason, efforts to protect and breed the toki are still important not only from the perspective of conserving biodiversity, but also in terms of restoring the rich natural environments that once existed throughout Japan. Against this backdrop, Japan began full-scale conservation efforts for the toki around 1970.
A significant development came in 1981, when seven wild toki, previously believed to be extinct, were discovered in China. Conservation and breeding efforts soon began there as well, and in 1999, China presented Japan with a breeding pair of toki, which produced Japan’s first captive-bred chick.
Despite these efforts, the last wild-born toki in Japan died in 2003, marking the extinction of the country’s wild population.
However, Japan subsequently established successful captive-breeding techniques and the species also bega
n breeding successfully in the wild in Sado, the last refuge of the species in Japan before its extinction in the wild. Today, the wild population has recovered to an estimated 500 or more individuals, and the toki can once again be seen flying freely, particularly over Sado.
Until recently, captive-bred toki had been released only in Sado. However, because the long-term survival of the species in Japan depends on having populations distributed across multiple regions rather than concentrated in a single area, release efforts have now been extended beyond Sado.
In May 2026, the first release of the toki outside Sado took place in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture. Noto was the last place on the Japanese mainland where the toki survived in the wild until 1970. More than half a century later, many people in Japan have been deeply moved to see the toki flying once again over Noto.
Once lost from Japan’s skies, Nipponia nippon now flies there again, its beautiful, pink-tinted feathers catching the light. The return of a species once extinct in the wild stands as a testament to decades of dedicated conservation efforts. It also reminds us of the importance of preserving a world in which people and nature can coexist in harmony for future generations to come.
Photo sources:
Ministry of the Environment, Japan
Ishikawa Prefectural Government
Many visitors stopped by our booth to ask for recommendations for their next trip to Japan. Some also shared what they love about Japan’s beaches and how they differ from those on the Gold Coast. It was wonderful to meet so many people whose travels had deepened their appreciation for Japan’s nature, food and traditional culture.
