New Bird Species Confirmed in Japan for 1st Time in 45 Years, Found on Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Pref.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:07 JST, March 22, 2026

A new bird species has been confirmed in Japan for the first time in 45 years.

A team from the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology and the Forest Research and Management Organization announced that a new species of warbler was confirmed on the Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture.

The species, now known as the Tokara leaf warbler, is widely distributed on the Tokara Islands.

The last time a new bird species was confirmed in Japan was in 1981, when the Okinawa rail, found in northern Okinawa Prefecture, was discovered.

Even though the Tokara leaf warbler, which measures about 12 centimeters long, can be found in various areas on the islands, breeding has only been confirmed on Nakanoshima Island, one of the Tokara Islands. The birds have also been known to overwinter in Southeast Asia.

Until now, the birds have been thought to be the same species as the Iijima’s leaf warbler, which has very similar characteristics and inhabits the Izu Islands.

However, because the two habitats are about 1,000 kilometers apart, the team suspected they might be different species.

After a detailed comparison of their characteristics, the team found that birds from the Tokara Islands were slightly smaller and had a different call. DNA analysis revealed that the two species diverged 2.8 million to 3.2 million years ago, according to the team.

The Iijima’s leaf warbler is classified as an endangered species on the Environment Ministry’s Red List.

“The new species is also believed to have a limited habitat and a small population,” said Takema Saito, a researcher at the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology. “As many areas of the Tokara Islands are becoming deforested, conservation measures for the birds are necessary.”