Rare bird from Sado Island is seen far away in Shiga

A crested ibis^*1 has been seen in Shiga Prefecture^*2 in Japan. The bird probably flew there from Sado Island, an island where crested ibises live in the wild^*3. The Ministry^*4 of the Environment, the part of the Japanese government that looks after nature, announced the news on October 9. Its office on Sado Island made the announcement.

The bird was first seen in Tsuruga, a city in Fukui Prefecture, on May 5. Then it was seen in Takashima, a city in Shiga Prefecture, on June 18 and again on August 21, 23, 24 and 29. This is the first time a crested ibis has been seen in Shiga since 2008. In that year, people first released^*5 crested ibises into the wild on Sado Island. Shiga is more than 300 kilometers from Sado. No crested ibis has ever been found so far from the island before.

The bird has no band^*6 on its leg, so nobody knows exactly which bird it is. But because of where and when it was seen, the ministry thinks it was born in the wild on Sado Island.

News about the bird spread on social media^*7. Many people came to take photos of it. Their cars and camera tripods^*8 caused trouble for the people who live there. After that, the bird left the area.

The ministry is asking people to stay away from the bird and watch it quietly. It also asks people not to post information that shows where the bird is. The ministry has put the rules for watching the birds in a leaflet^*9 called "How to Watch Crested Ibises" and a short video called "When You Watch Crested Ibises." Since 2008, people have reported about 6,500 sightings^*10 of crested ibises on Honshu, the main island of Japan.

1. *1 crested ibis: a large white and pink bird with a long, thin beak; it is very rare in Japan
2. *2 Prefecture: a large area of Japan with its own local government, like a state
3. *3 in the wild: living free in nature, not in a zoo or a cage
4. *4 ministry: a part of a country's government that looks after one thing, such as nature or health
5. *5 released: let go free
6. *6 band: a small ring put on a bird's leg so people can tell which bird it is
7. *7 social media: websites and apps where people share photos and news with each other
8. *8 tripods: stands with three legs that hold a camera still
9. *9 leaflet: a small paper with information on it
10. *10 sightings: times when someone sees something, such as a rare bird