Toki Forest Park — Japan's Last Wild Crested Ibis

The Japanese crested ibis (toki, Nipponia nippon) was declared extinct in the wild in 1981 when the last five wild birds were captured on Sado Island for captive breeding. Through decades of conservation effort, the population has recovered to over 500 birds now living wild across Sado's rice paddies and forests. The Toki Forest Park houses the captive breeding facility and a large walk-through aviary where visitors can observe these pale pink, crimson-faced birds at close range — their distinctive curved red beaks and 140cm wingspan visible as they wade through shallow pools hunting for frogs and insects.

The toki symbolizes Sado's ecological transformation: the island banned pesticides, converted rice farming to toki-friendly methods (winter flooding of paddies to create wetland habitat), and created protected nesting sites. Seeing wild toki in Sado's rice paddies (best April–June during nesting season) has become a pilgrimage for Japanese birders.