Crested ibises to be released in Japan's quake-hit Noto area

Crested ibises, birds designated as Japanese natural treasures, may be released in the Noto Peninsula as part of a restoration project for the region hit hard by a powerful earthquake on New Year's day, a government source said Sunday.

The release in Ishikawa Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast might be conducted as early as fiscal 2026 through March 2027, and would be the first such release on the country's main island of Honshu.

The Environment Ministry is expected to request 800 million yen ($5.5 million) for fiscal 2025 to fund field surveys aimed at determining whether the area can sustain the birds, such as assessing the availability of insects, an important food source for ibises.

The last domestic ibis on Honshu was captured in the Noto Peninsula and moved to Sado Island off Niigata Prefecture for conservation in 1970. The last wild one died in Japan in 2003. Five years later, China donated some ibises that were released on Sado Island and the population has since grown

In 2022, the central government selected the Noto region and Izumo in Shimane Prefecture as potential sites for releasing the birds. Both areas feature extensive farmland abundant with insects, frogs and small fishes favored by ibises. Both Niigata and Shimane prefectures are along the Sea of Japan.

According to the source, the Environment Ministry will evaluate through the surveys whether there is sufficient food for the birds in the Noto Peninsula following the magnitude-7.6 earthquake in January.

Crested ibises to be released in Japan's quake-hit Noto area

Crested ibises to be released in Japan's quake-hit Noto area

Crested ibises to be released in Japan's quake-hit Noto area

Crested ibises to be released in Japan's quake-hit Noto area

Crested ibises to be released in Japan's quake-hit Noto area