Captive-Born Ogasawara Greenfinches Produce a New Generation

Ueno Zoo has been working on the off-site conservation of the Ogasawara Greenfinch (Chloris kittlitzi), a bird species found only in the Ogasawara Islands, about 1,000 kilometers south of central Tokyo. Recently, a pair born in captivity last year successfully bred and raised three chicks.

A fledged Ogasawara Greenfinch chick (right) and its mother at Ueno Zoo
(photographed on June 15, 2026)

The Ogasawara Greenfinch faces a high risk of extinction in the wild. Ueno Zoo and two breeding facilities on Chichijima Island in the Ogasawara Islands, the species’ natural habitat, have been working together to breed and maintain the species in captivity. It is very important to maintain a self-sustaining captive population over multiple generations to increase population numbers and ensure the species’ long-term survival.

This latest breeding success is the result of efforts that have been steadily improving since 2025. In March 2025, Ueno Zoo began a captive breeding program using two wild-origin birds transferred from Chichijima, and two chicks fledged in July. Meanwhile, four chicks were successfully raised at Chichijima facilities between June and July 2025.

In 2026, a new pair of birds that were born in captivity successfully bred and raised three chicks. The male of the pair hatched at the Chichijima facility on June 15, 2025, and was transferred to Ueno Zoo on October 15 of the same year, while the female hatched at Ueno Zoo on June 30, 2025. 

The Chichijima facilities have also successfully bred pairs consisting of two captive-born birds.

As of June 15, 2026, there were 24 Ogasawara Greenfinches being kept in captivity in Japan: eight at Ueno Zoo, including the three chicks hatched in 2026, and 16 at two facilities on Chichijima, including six birds that hatched in 2026. There are currently no plans to put the birds on display for the public to view.

The Ogasawara Greenfinch has experienced a significant decline in its population in recent years due to predation by rodents and feral cats, as well as the depletion of food resources and water shortages caused by climate change and other factors.