Latin name: Nipponia nippon

Brief introduction: The Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon (Temminck, 1855)) is the only member of the genus Nipponia and also known as the Japanese Crested Ibis (Toki). Originally widespread across China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Russia, by 1981 the species became nearly extinct in the wild, except two surviving breeding pairs in Southern Qinling mountains of Yangxian County, China. The species is now recovering with descendents from these breeding pairs, due to the assistance of human conservation efforts.

Related papers:
Zhang et al., Comparative Genomics Reveals Insights into Avian Genome Evolution and Adaptation. Science, (2014).
Jarvis et al., Whole Genome Analyses Resolve Early Branches in the Tree of Life of Modern Birds. Science, (2014).
Li et al., Genomic signatures of near-extinction and rebirth of the Crested Ibis and other endangered bird species. Genome Biology, (2014).