Rare Vessels Appear On Japan's Honshu Island For The First Time In 4 Years

JAKARTA - An endangered bird species has been identified from a photo of 2021, marking the first sighting on Japan's main island, Honshu, in four years, with experts seeking government support to protect it.

The bird, which was confirmed by a group of researchers as the adult male trigger of Japan's largest trigger species, a black trigger, was photographed by Hideyuki Endo (48) on Mount Moriyoshi, Akita's northeastern prefecture, the same location as the last black bird's last seen in 2017.

While black birds are still a relatively common sight on the island of Hokkaido, north of Honshu, the Ministry of Environment designated them as vulnerable species with increased risk of extinction.

"The latest information regarding the timing and location of the sighting is very important for vulnerable species. We want to gather information," a ministry official said, quoted by Kyodo News May 16.

The last sighting came to light when Endo contacted a group of researchers in October, after seeing Japanese media reports that the bird was last seen on Honshu in 2017. The group has been studying the bird for a long time.

The photo was taken in late May, shortly after birds usually hatch, when the parent bird is very busy, according to the group.

"Because the black bird takes care of its cubs and females, there may be a female somewhere," said Tadashi Fujii, leader of the group.

It is known, known for its sleek black fur with dark red jambul accents, a black trigger, which has the scientific name Dryocopus martius, was designated as a "national natural monoument" in Japan in 1965.