The nation’s first crested ibis chicks to be born in the wild
since 1976 are being watched over by a pair of the endangered
birds on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, the Environment
Ministry said Monday. If the their development proceeds
unhindered, they will likely leave the nest in about 40 days.
The parents — a 3-year-old male and 2-year-old female — were
raised at an ibis conservation center on the island and released
into the wild in March 2011. They were found to have built a
nest on March 16. The ministry said it confirmed the chicks’
birth via a remote camera placed near the nest but that footage
of the eggs actually hatching was unavailable because the camera
broke. On Sunday, a monitoring team from the ministry set up
another camera 40 meters from the nest that was able to take
about 12 hours of footage from 6 a.m. showing one of the chicks
being fed, officials said. The other two were confirmed safe
Monday. The crested ibis (scientific name Nipponia nippon) is
registered as a special Japanese natur