Oozashi Waters and Breeding Grounds of Black-tailed Gulls, Night Herons, Swiftlets and Puffins on Futagojima, Kurakakejima, Hizumejima and Kuroshima

The Black-tailed Gull is a gull with a black band on its tail and a cat-like call that gave it its Japanese name. It breeds in large colonies on Japan's coasts and islands. Breeding sites such as Kabushima in Hachinohe and Teuri Island in Hokkaido are designated Natural Monuments and have long been cherished locally.

The Black-crowned Night Heron is a medium-sized heron with a blue-black head and back and white plumes trailing from the nape. Its Japanese name is said to come from an old Heian-period tale. Nocturnal, it hunts fish and frogs at the water's edge from dusk. Breeding colonies shared with gulls and other birds on islands in Miyagi are designated Natural Monuments.

The Pacific swift has long, sickle-shaped wings and a white rump, and spends nearly all day on the wing catching insects. It nests on sea cliffs and similar sites. The Oyubi sea area and nearby islets in Miyagi are Natural Monuments as breeding grounds of this swift together with black-tailed gulls, rhinoceros auklets and other birds.

The rhinoceros auklet is an auk that grows a small horn-like knob at the base of its bill in the breeding season. It catches fish at sea and returns at night to burrows on its island. Breeding colonies such as Teuri Island in Hokkaido and islands in Miyagi are designated Natural Monuments as seabird nesting grounds.