What We Do...
Wild Bird Society of Japan (WBSJ) was founded in 1934 in Tokyo by Nakanishi Godo and his colleagues. The organization has now about 50,000 members and 90 related organizations. The mission of the organisation is: The conservation of birds, educating people about the protection of birds, the promotion of research and conducting surveys on birds. WBSJ is a BirdLife International Partner.
Established in 1974 as a regional chapter of the Wild Bird Society of Japan (WBSJ), Ehime WBSJ currently connects approximately 350 members. Our mission is to preserve Ehime's rich biodiversity through dedicated ornithological research and the conservation of vital bird habitats. We are committed to raising public awareness and providing opportunities for everyone to experience the joy of observing wild birds in their natural environment. To support this, we host over 60 birdwatching walks annually and publish our bimonthly bulletin, "Komadori" (named after the Japanese Robin, the prefectural bird of Ehime).
Birding Together!
If you're traveling to Ehime, why not join us for a morning bird walk? You don't have to be a member to participate. Everyone is welcome!
Matsuyama Castle offers a stunning view of the cityscape and serves as a wonderful habitat for local birds. We hold birding walks here on the first Sunday of every month. Let's enjoy the beauty of nature together!
Time: Every first Sunday, 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Meeting place:
Next to the Ehime Prefectural Government Office
Our Works
To understand the impact of environmental changes, we conduct long-term monitoring, including our Wintering Duck Population Survey (since 1970) and Shigenobu River Estuary Bird Counts (since 1996: click here for a summary of survey results through 2024). We are protecting habitats of threatened species, such as the Little Tern, Kentish Plover and Hooded Crane, ensuring their future in Ehime. Beyond these, we consider it our duty to advocate for the environment by highlighting development risks to local governments.
Checklist of the Birds of Ehime (2024)
A checklist of biological species is an essential foundational resource for understanding what species occur in a region and for gaining insight into biodiversity.
As part of our 50th anniversary project, we published the Checklist of the Birds of Ehime, which compiles bird records from 1950 onwards. This publication includes 370 species (including 9 introduced species) across 21 orders and 71 families, based on the latest taxonomy of the 8th revised edition of the Checklist of Japanese Birds. For each species, we provide information on migration status and occurrence within the prefecture.
In addition, using a dataset of over 200,000 records, we also analyzed population trends and distribution changes. This volume serves not only as a checklist but also as a valuable resource for ecological research and conservation efforts, making it widely useful for researchers and environmental specialists across Japan.
The book is available for purchase on Amazon.
Ehime Bird List (1950 - present)
A list of species included in the Checklist of the Birds of Ehime, along with related information, is available for free download via a Google Spreadsheet. The taxonomy follows the 8th edition of the Checklist of Japanese Birds and the latest version of the IOC World Bird List.
Data Download：Google Spreadsheet ｜ HTML ver.
Access to Detailed Records
For those who wish to obtain more detailed data for research or survey purposes, please contact us.
Birding Spots
Ehime prefecture has many good places for birding.