Wild birds are said to be barameters of natural environment. This is because birds have wings and fly away when the environment deteriorates and return when it improves. Suntory Group, which is taking advantage of the rich blessings of nature, is committed to "Today Birds, Tomorrow Humans - Happiness that happens to birds today may make tomorrow's humans happy. Understanding that the wild bird protection is linked to the protection of humans and the natural environment, we began our involvement in bird conservation activities in 1973.
History of Suntory Bird Conservation Activities
| Year of activity | Content |
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| 1973 |
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| 1989 |
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| 1990 |
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| 1993 |
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| 2006 |
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| 2014 |
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| 2016 |
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| 2018 |
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| 2021 |
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| 2024 |
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1st Save the Birds!
Campaign newspaper ad -
The Suntory Fund for Bird Conservation
As one of the activities commemorating the 90th anniversary of our founding, we enhanced bird conservation activities with the establishment of the Suntory Fund for Bird Conservation in 1989. As this initiative is designated to promote global environmental conservation through the protection of wild birds, funds are granted for bird protection activities both in Japan and overseas.
Over the 35 years since becoming a charitable trust in 1990, the Foundation has granted total of ¥704.5 million to 517 organizations up to 2024, making great achievements. The 2020 presentation ceremony was cancelled to avoid the risk of new coronavirus (Covid-19) infection; the 2021 and 2022 ceremonies were held online; In 2023, we also began connecting online with various locations and holding hybrid presentation ceremonies.
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The 35th Fund Granting Ceremony of
Public Trust Suntory Fund for Bird
Conservation -
Presentations on
conservation activities from
Japanese and international
(online participation)
grantees -
The members of the "Grants for Community Bird Activities" category
The Hakushu Distillery Bird Sanctuary
We started bird conservation activities in 1973, and in the same year, as the first private company, we opened a wild bird sanctuary in the Hakushu Distillery in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Surrounded by rich forests and many clear streams, the Hakushu Distillery is a relay point of migration for wild birds. In the bird sanctuary, Suntory periodically conducts bird research with the advice of experts and uses the data as one of the guidelines for creating a better environment for birds and other living creatures.
The Hakushu Distillery Bird Sanctuary
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Blue-and-white Flycatcher
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Ural Owl
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Red-flanked Bluetail
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Narcissus Flycatcher
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Hanging boxes in the Bird Sanctuary
Communication
We are putting out a broad range of information through our websites and other tools to familiarize more people with these wild birds. On the Japanese Bird Encyclopedia website, anyone can enjoy learning about over 200 species of wild birds through illustrations with explanations, bird calls, and pictures.
The portal site "eBird Japan" (operated by Cornell University Lab of Ornithology and the Wild Bird Society of Japan), which provides access to the world's largest bird observation database of birdwatchers' records, and the bird identification app Merlin are tools that make it easy to enjoy birdwatching activities in Japan and overseas. Suntory is working to promote the use of these tools as the main sponsor.
We provide leaflets on how to easily distinguish the birds around you to help in bird watching.
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Japanese Bird Encyclopedia website
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The portal site "eBird Japan" (operated by Cornell University
Lab of Ornithology and the Wild Bird Society of Japan) -
Save the Birds Activity leaflets