Japan releases 8 crested ibises decades after extinction - Taipei Times

BREEDING PROGRAM:

The last remaining Japanese ibis died in 2003, but the bird population has been revived thanks to artificial breeding by a pair donated by China

AP, TOKYO

Eight crested ibises on Sunday were released into the wild in a north-central Japanese town, decades after the birds went extinct in the country.Eight of the endangered birds took off from each of their wooden cages at a ceremony in Hakui City in the Noto region, where they were last seen in the wild.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.

Japanese Crown Prince Akishino, second right, Crown Princess Kiko, right, and other officials watch a crested Ibis marked with painted wings released into the wild during an event in Hakui, Japan, on Sunday.