Japan may lower Red List status of crested ibis as more live in wild

Crested ibis in Japan are facing less risk of extinction amid efforts to reintroduce the birds to the wild, leading the government to consider lowering its status on the list of threatened species, government sources said Saturday.The crested ibis was classified as "Extinct in the Wild" on the Environment Ministry's Red List in 1998 after all five remaining wild ibis in Japan were captured in 1981. Since then, the species has maintained the rank for 20 years.The classification of "Extinct in the Wild" is the second-highest rank on the ministry's Red List after "Extinct," and means particula…READ FULL ARTICLE