Home / Environment / Hope for Ogasawara Finch: First Grandchicks Hatched
Hope for Ogasawara Finch: First Grandchicks Hatched
4 Jul
Summary
- Ogasawara greenfinch chicks, critically endangered, born from captive parents.
- First time two generations of the species bred entirely in captivity.
- Conservation efforts intensify due to 200 remaining wild birds.
Chicks of the critically endangered Ogasawara greenfinch, a species endemic to Japan's Ogasawara Islands, have been born from parents who were themselves hatched in captivity. This is the first instance of two successive generations of this bird being bred entirely within a captive setting. The milestone was announced on June 24 by the Institute of Boninology and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, highlighting their ongoing breeding program.
The Ogasawara greenfinch, measuring approximately 14 centimeters, is critically endangered with an estimated wild population of only 200. It faces severe threats from predation by invasive rats and feral cats, as well as climate change impacts and typhoons. Captive breeding commenced in July 2021 on Chichijima Island, expanding to Ueno Zoological Gardens and a private facility in 2025.
This successful breeding program saw three pairs lay 12 eggs between May and June this year. Eleven chicks hatched, with two confirmed fledglings. At Ueno Zoological Gardens, three chicks from a captive-bred pair also fledged in June. These efforts are vital, especially considering the extinction of other Ogasawara Island endemic species before World War II.
