The Environment Ministry removed the red-crowned crane, also known as the Japanese crane, from its list of threatened species on Tuesday.
The ministry’s assessment of the bird, which is designated by the government as a special natural monument, was downgraded from “threatened” to “near-threatened,” thanks to a population recovery, meaning that the risk of the species becoming extinct is low.
The Japanese crane, which lives in Hokkaido, saw its population drop to as low as 33 in 1952 due to overhunting. Thanks to conservation efforts, about 1,200 adult cranes are believed to now be living in the wild.
The ministry also revised its assessment of the crested ibis from “critically endangered” to “endangered” thanks to efforts to reintroduce the bird to the wild on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture.
The ministry started releasing its list of threatened species in 1991. The list is updated roughly every five years.
The number of threatened species has risen by 22 to 204, according to the latest update. Additions include the dunlin, a migratory bird.