The crested ibis, also known as the Japanese crested ibis, or Asian crested ibis, is a species of ibis, native to eastern Asia. It is the only member of the genus Nipponia. In Japan, where it has special cultural significance, the name is toki (トキ).
Region
East Asia
Typical Environment
Historically occurred across China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and the Russian Far East; today, core wild populations persist in central China with reintroduced groups in Japan and Korea. It favors wetlands, river margins, rice paddies, and seasonally flooded fields, often near villages. The species nests in tall trees on hillsides or along valleys close to foraging grounds. Habitat mosaics of shallow water and soft substrates are essential for probing prey.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The crested ibis is the only member of the genus Nipponia and holds deep cultural significance in Japan, where it is known as toki. Once reduced to just a handful of wild birds in China in 1981, it has rebounded thanks to intensive protection and reintroduction programs in China, Japan, and South Korea. In breeding condition, its white plumage takes on a delicate salmon-pink wash, and it sports a distinctive wispy crest and red facial skin.
In flight showing the pink underwing
Crested ibis near Crested Ibis Conservation Center on Sado Island
Temperament
social and wary
Flight Pattern
steady, deep wingbeats with frequent gliding
Social Behavior
Often forages in small groups and nests semi-colonially. Pairs are monogamous during the breeding season and build stick nests high in trees. Clutches typically contain 2–4 eggs, and both parents share incubation and chick rearing.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Generally quiet, producing harsh, frog-like croaks and grating calls, especially near nests. Alarm calls are louder and more repeated, while contact calls are softer and guttural.
Plumage
Mostly white with a salmon-pink flush on the wings and back during breeding; long, loose nuchal crest.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small aquatic and semi-aquatic animals, including loaches, small fish, frogs, tadpoles, aquatic insects, and crustaceans. It probes soft mud and shallow water with its long bill, picking prey by touch and sight. It may also take earthworms and beetles in damp fields.
Preferred Environment
Shallow wetlands, riverbanks, flooded meadows, and rice paddies with soft substrates. Often forages at the edges of standing water and in recently irrigated or harvested fields.
