Coastal Area 15401 Northeastern Yatsushiro Sea

Basic Information References

Reason(s) for selection Criteria

Characteristics References

These waters include the tidal mud flats on the coast of the eastern Yatsushiro Sea. Many rivers flow into the Yatsushiro Sea and form tidal mud flats, with those at the mouth of the Kuma River being particularly expansive. Snipe and plover visit the vicinity of the Kuma River mouth, with relatively large numbers of species and populations visiting during the spring and fall migrations and wintering here. At least 1% of the minimum estimated population of Kentish plover, Terek sandpiper, and grey-tailed tattler has been recorded here, as has at least 0.25% of the minimum estimated population of black-bellied plover, lesser sand plover, Numenius phaeopus, grey-tailed tattler, and dunlin. Saunders' gull also visits here. These waters are visited by as many as 90 species of birds including snipe and plover. The tidal mud flats unfolding at the mouths of the Ono and Sunagawa rivers also are visited by numerous snipe and plover, and Saunders' gull and Far Eastern curlew have been recorded here as well. Also abundant at the mouth of the Ono River are the typical Ariake Sea species Cerithidea largillierti, Cerithidea ornata, Pseudomphala latericea, fiddler crab, Cleistostoma dilatatum, and bluespotted mud hopper. Salinator takii, whose current distribution in the Ariake Sea is limited, can be seen here too. Black-faced spoonbill have been confirmed to visit the mouth of the Hikawa River (Ministry of the Environment, 2001). Oyster reefs form in these waters.