Two crested ibises have been successfully hatched from eggs laid by Yang Yang, a crested ibis given to Japan by China in 1999, breeders at the Sado Crested Ibis Preservation Center said Tuesday.
One chick pecked through its shell at 11:15 p.m. Monday, with the other following at 5:25 a.m. Tuesday.
The two chicks were the fourth and fifth hatched through artificial incubation at the sanctuary this year. The first three were hatched from eggs laid by Mei Mei, another gift from China given to Japan last year.
Monday night's chick weighed 65.9 grams at birth -- the heaviest of the ibises born at the sanctuary -- while the second weighed in at 60.8 grams.