Asian crested ibises have been revered and reviled at different times throughout Japanese history, but the endangered birds with long, curved bills; red faces and legs; and pink tinged wings are getting the royal treatment once again.
On Sunday, the Japanese crown prince and princess attended a ceremony commemorating the release of eight crested ibises into the wild on Honshu, the country’s main island. It had been more than a half-century since the last such wild creature flew freely there, and the royals’ presence at the event signaled just how far these creatures have come in recent decades.
Once widespread in Japan and beyond, crested ibises went from being fairly commonplace in the country to being on the verge of extinction. They are now seen as a symbol of successful conservation efforts and of international diplomacy.
The crested ibis, known as “Toki” in Japanese, was native to Japan and, once upon a time, flew freely in the wild there, as well as in China, Korea and Russia.
References to the birds and their colorful underfeathers appeared in Japanese historical texts going as far back as at least the eighth century, including in the ancient text “Nihon Shoki,” or “Chronicles of Japan,” penned in 720.
Written with the characters “peach-flower bird,” a reference to the tinge under its wings, the crested ibis’s name appeared on imperial tombs, and its feathers also later figured in certain important ceremonies.
