Tag - birds

 
 

BIRDS

A Pacific Gull walks on a local beach in Esperance, a town on the south coast of Western Australia, on June 23.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 24, 2026
Australia ramps up bird flu surveillance and testing after first cases reported
Tests are underway after dead sub-Antarctic seabirds and a pelican ​were found more than 1,200 ‌kilometers from where the first ​two confirmed cases were reported.
A recent study by Ryota Hayashi sheds new light on brown boobies' tendencies to follow non-fishing vessels near Japan's Ogasawara Islands.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Jun 21, 2026
Citizen science in Japan’s Ogasawara Islands spotlights ties between ships and birds
A recent study has shed new light on seabirds’ tendencies to follow ships near the island chain and highlights the role wildlife enthusiasts can play in research.
Julie Collins, Australia's agriculture minister, told a news conference Saturday that scientists had detected the H5 strain of bird flu in a migratory sea bird, a brown skua, in remote Western Australia,
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jun 20, 2026
Australia detects first case of contagious H5 bird flu
The announcement means that the highly contagious variant has now spread to every continent.
A young Japanese golden eagle takes flight from its enclosure.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2026
Zoo-born golden eagle released into wild for first time in Japan
The Japanese golden eagle is an endangered species, as well as a national natural monument.
A crested ibis takes flight on May 31 in the city of Hakui, Ishikawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2026
Another 10 crested ibises released in Ishikawa Prefecture
This brought the number of crested ibises, a special natural treasure of Japan, set free in Honshu to 18.
A crested ibis takes flight after being released in Hakui, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2026
Crested ibises released into wild in quake-hit Ishikawa
The prefectural government hopes the effort will be a symbol of reconstruction from the powerful January 2024 earthquake that hit the Noto Peninsula.
A research team led by Okayama University professor Sakae Takeuchi has identified the detailed mechanism behind crows’ black coloration, finding that a receptor in the species' pigment cell for producing black pigment is constantly active.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 14, 2026
Japanese researchers identify scientific mechanism behind crows’ black color
The research team created the pigment cell receptor for large-billed crows in culture and conducted a detailed analysis.
Shorebirds gather 
in dense flocks at Higashiyoka Higata (tidal flats), pushed together by the rising tide.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / Perspectives
May 4, 2026
At 70, chasing birds across a changing Japan
From subtropical islands to northern coasts, a quest for rare sightings becomes a meditation on memory, effort and environmental change.
The new bird, named the Tokara leaf warbler, is the first bird species to be given a scientific name in Japan since 1981.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 19, 2026
New bird species found in Japan for first time in 45 years
The Tokara leaf warbler, or Phylloscopus tokaraensis, is the first bird species to be given a scientific name in Japan since 1981.
The red-crowned crane has been removed from the Environment Ministry’s Red List of threatened species.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 17, 2026
Japanese crane no longer considered ‘threatened’ as population recovers
The species saw its population drop to as low as 33 in 1952 due to overhunting, but after conservation efforts about 1,200 are believed to now be living in the wild.
A large-scale solar project near Hokkaido's Kushiro Wetlands is driving a surge in land donations to a local environmental trust, as residents try to keep their property out of the hands of developers.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 26, 2026
Land donations surge near Kushiro Wetlands amid megasolar controversy
A local environmental trust has seen a large uptick in land donations from residents seeking to keep their property out of developers’ hands.
Earlier this month, the central government announced plans to introduce a system that would require third-party organizations to verify the safety of megasolar projects before construction begins.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Dec 22, 2025
Hokkaido governor sharpens stance against megasolar development
Gov. Naomichi Suzuki’s decision to toughen up on the sector comes amid growing local backlash against several projects in Hokkaido.
Sharon Kwok Pong, founder of the Hong Kong Parrot Rescue, interacts with "Winnie," a rescued yellow-crested cockatoo.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 19, 2025
Hong Kong scientist puts hope in nest boxes to save endangered cockatoos
Their future now hangs in the balance, due to habitat loss and, some suspect, a black market for the rare birds.
An Emerald Toucanet. Nearly half of all bird species are found in biodiversity-rich tropical regions.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 12, 2025
Climate heat extremes driving tropical bird decline: study
Intensifying temperatures caused a 25% to 38% reduction in tropical bird populations between 1950 and 2020, compared to a scenario without global warming.
Poultry serum samples are tested for antibodies to the avian influenza virus in Campinas, Brazil, in 2023.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 19, 2025
Geography helps shield Brazil from U.S.-style bird flu epidemic, for now
Brazil’s vast and diverse geography may be keeping migratory birds away from poultry farms in the country’s interior.
The white-tailed eagle's wintering grounds include Hokkaido, northern Honshu, the Russian coast, the southern Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
May 26, 2025
Eagle nest discovery sparks opposition to megasolar project
Groups want to put a stop to the project near eastern Hokkaido’s Kushiro Wetlands National Park.
Pigeons — and their droppings — can be extremely difficult to manage once they settle in.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Mar 25, 2025
A new year, a new home and new unexpected guests: pigeons
They might seem harmless at first, but their droppings pose serious health risks to humans and the birds can be extremely difficult to manage once they settle in.
A Red Knot (left) and a Ruddy Turnstone gather with other shorebirds to feed on Atlantic horseshoe eggs along a beach in Little Creek, Delaware.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Mar 14, 2025
Many U.S. bird species seen as reaching population ‘tipping point’
A report found that avian populations are decreasing in almost every habitat, including grasslands and arid regions.
Whips, cages and other items that were seized from Hiroshi Tsuji, who has been rearrested on suspicion of violating the animal welfare law, by the Metropolitan Police Department are displayed in the city of Tachikawa, Tokyo, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 7, 2025
Kawasaki taxi driver rearrested on suspicion of killing pigeon
It is believed Hiroshi Tsuji initially gave the bird food and water but began abusing it when it showed no affection in return.
The wreckage of the Jeju Air aircraft that went off the runway and crashed at Muan International Airport lies near a concrete structure it crashed into, in Muan, South Korea, Dec. 30.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 27, 2025
Duck remains found in both engines of Jeju Air plane that crashed, report says
The authorities are still trying to determine what caused the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival