July 17, 2026
TOKYO – The Environment Ministry announced that it has completed protection and recovery programs for two rare bird species — the Amami thrush and the Amami woodcock — inhabiting the Nansei Islands, thanks to the recovery of their populations.
It is the first time that a conservation program based on the Law on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora has been completed in Japan.
According to the ministry, the Amami thrush, called Otoratsugumi in Japanese, is a national natural monument found exclusively on Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, while the Amami woodcock, called Amamiyamashigi, is an endemic species found on the Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima islands in the same prefecture.
Amamiyamashigi. PHOTO: ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY/THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN
Populations of both species had declined due to habitat loss caused by deforestation and predation by natural enemies, and they had been the subject of the protection programs since 1999.
The ministry confirmed that its habitat management and mongoose control have helped the birds recover their populations.
The revised edition of the ministry’s Red List published in March downgraded the conservation status of both species by one level, from Threatened Ⅱ to Near Threatened. The ministry plans to continue monitoring their population status and may resume the program if conditions deteriorate.