If asked to name an iconic bird of Japan, most people would probably go for the red-crowned crane. Though rare, it is captured in many works of art, folk tales, and even company logos. Known for its elegant dancing during mating season, it is often featured in nature films and photography about Japan.
If you’ve paid attention to the title of this post though, you have probably realized this is not the bird I will be talking about. I’ll save that for a different day. Today I’d like to tell the story of another large rare Japanese bird: the Oriental white stork.
Description
The oriental white stork shares the red-crowned crane’s color scheme, with a mostly white body and black wing feathers. Although it is smaller than the more famous crane, it is still a sizeable bird at 43-59 in (110-150 cm) tall, roughly 6.2-13 lb (2.8-5.9 kg), and with a 7.3 ft (2.2 m) wingspan. Similar in appearance to the European white stork, it can be told apart by its black beak, red skin around the eyes, and white irises.
Historic and Current Range
The oriental stork was historically found across Asia, from the Siberian region of Russia and Northeast China to the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and further south with some birds wintering in parts of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Phillippines.
It became locally extinct in the Korean Peninsula and Japan in 1971. As a result of conservation efforts, the oriental stork has returned to Korea and Japan and most of the population appears to be found in China, with smaller population clusters in Russia, Korea, Japan. They are less commonly seen in other parts of Asia such as India and the Philippines.
Diet and Behavior
Storks are carnivores and eat a range of insects, small invertebrates, fish, amphibians, small reptiles, and small mammals. In Japan, they are a top predator in their wetland ecosystem, and their presence an indicator of a healthy habitat. The Oriental white storks mainly hunt by wading in wetland or river edge areas as well as rice paddies.
They are migratory birds that travel to breed or winter in other areas and are usually solitary except during breeding season. They nest in tall trees or man-made structures such as electricity poles or nesting platforms. They do not have much in the way of vocalization and mainly communicate by loudly clattering their beaks.
Road to Decline
While the oriental stork was once widespread in Asia, the species has declined and is considered endangered. The main threats and reasons for its decline are hunting, habitat loss, and other effects of human development and industrialization such as prey loss and environmental pollution.
In Japan, the storks were initially able to live alongside humans and hunt for prey in the flooded rice fields. But as agriculture became more industrialized, it soon led to problems for the storks and other smaller species that lived or hunted there. With industrialization, traditional farming practices were changed for higher rice production. Heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers not only reduced the storks’ natural prey but also led to the buildup of mercury and other chemicals in their bodies, a process known as biomagnification, which left them sick and unable to breed.
Traditional practices where fields were connected to natural waterways and left flooded for longer periods in the year were altered; concrete irrigation and drainage isolated from the fields prevented natural movement of aquatic species like fish, and fields left flooded for a shorter period meant that tadpoles didn’t have time to develop into frogs, further reducing the prey population. These factors coupled with the loss of natural nesting sites from logging of the pine forests led to the decline of the species in Japan.
The last wild birds were seen in 1971 in Toyooka, and after their deaths, the stork was declared extinct in Japan.
Conservation Timeline
Capture and Breeding
With the wild stork population at risk of local extinction, the oriental white stork was designated a special natural monument, and protection groups were established to help conserve the species from 1956. At this time, there were only 20 wild birds left in Japan. As the number of wild storks continued to decline, plans were made to set up a captive breeding facility.
By 1963 their numbers had dwindled to just 11 birds and an attempt was made to remove eggs from the wild to incubate in captivity. Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful. The next step was to capture some of the few remaining wild birds for captive breeding. From 1963 to February 1971, three wild adult birds were caught and taken into the breeding center. In May of 1971, the last wild stork was captured in Toyooka but subsequently died resulting in the local extinction of the stork in Japan.
In 1985, Russia sent 6 young storks to Japan to help bolster the captive breeding population. Finally, in 1989, the captive Russian storks successfully bred and raised a chick. From this point on, the captive storks have successfully raised chicks every year.
Reintroductions
As the captive population grew, plans for re-introduction to the wild were formed and additional facilities, such as the Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork were developed. From 1999 on, the breeding population was added to with birds from zoos within Japan as well as wild birds from Russia. By 2002, the captive population had risen to over 100, and the first captive-bred birds were released in 2005. Two years later, in 2007, the first chick from reintroduced storks fledged in the wild.
Since then, captive breeding and re-introductions in Japan have continued along with efforts to restore and protect the storks’ habitat. And in 2014, the Graduate School of Regional Resource Management was established on the grounds of the Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork to support the sustainable management of natural resources.
Conservation Initiatives
Stork friendly rice-growing methods
For the storks to thrive again, it was crucial to restore their habitat. Stork-friendly farming methods were established and supported by government subsidies to encourage rice farmers to change their methods. This includes a 75-100% reduction of pesticide and fertilizer use and a return to leaving rice paddies flooded for a longer period. Reduction of pesticides allows natural prey to survive for the storks to feed on and prevents bio-accumulation of chemicals which could hinder storks’ ability to breed again. Leaving the fields flooded also provides additional habitat for waterfowl and prey such as frogs and insects.
Wetland Restoration
While storks can find prey in rice paddies and co-exist with organic farming methods, they need more habitat than that to thrive. In addition to the stork-friendly rice-growing methods, the city of Toyooka has established several habitats for wetland preservation. These include the Hachigoro Toshima wetland, Kaya wetland, Maruyama river, Tai wetland, rice paddy biotope, and lower Maruyama river.
Some of these are wetlands or biotopes converted from unused rice paddy fields. These expand the habitat and feeding areas for the storks as well as function as natural corridors connecting wetland areas. Along the rivers, wetland areas and shallows are created to expand habitat and foraging areas for the storks. These habitats benefit not only the storks, but the species they feed on, such as insects, fish, and amphibians, and other waterfowl.
Current Status
While the stork has rebounded thanks to captive breeding and habitat restoration efforts, the population in Japan is still small. There are approximately 95 storks in captivity and 90 in the wild. The main location of breeding and conservation efforts is the Toyooka area in Hyogo Prefecture. As the captive population grew, reintroductions have expanded to other prefectures such as Chiba and Fukui. Worldwide, the population is estimated to be between 1,000-2,500 mature individuals.
Where to see them:
In addition to habitat restoration and stork-friendly farming methods, Toyooka city has also become an ecotourism spot to see the storks. From local schoolchildren to international tourists, university students, and researchers, visitors to the park and other nearby attractions have increased over the years with over 1,000 package tours sold since 2006. But if package tours aren’t your thing, no worries. It is very easy to see them on your own. And the best part is, you can pair it with a visit to the famous hot springs of Kinosaki.
Kinosaki Onsen: Hachigoro wetlands
The Hachigoro wetlands are located just outside of Kinosaki Onsen. They are free to visit and easily reached on foot or by bike from the town. Just a short ride/walk down the road and across the bridge and you will find them in no time flat. Only one side is open to the public to prevent disturbing the birds, but there is a viewing hut with some identification information and a view of the nesting platform.
Toyooka: Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork
The Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork can be reached with a direct bus from Toyooka station and requires only a small donation of 100 yen to enter. In the museum, you can learn more about the storks’ biology, conservation efforts, and local history. There are also many specimens of other local birds and wildlife, an education room, and videos of the storks on their nest. Outside, you can view some of the captive storks, visit a biotope, and even hike a nature trail. At the end of your visit, you can buy stork-friendly rice or other goods at the nearby souvenir stands.
Conclusion
Although the Oriental stork was once extinct in Japan, it has been brought back through the hard work and perseverance of local communities and governments as well as international cooperation with other countries that the stork calls home. The numbers are still small, but hopefully, the population will continue to grow as the Oriental stork is re-established in its historic range.
Resources and Further Reading
- About stork-friendly farming and ecotourism
- Japan looks to ancient wisdom to save biodiversity (oriental storks)
- Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork
- A detailed timeline of stork capture, breeding, and reintroduction
- IUCN Red List page for Oriental stork
- Visit Kinosaki: National Treasure-Oriental White Stork information
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