All three of the crested ibis chicks hatched in the wild late last month temporarily left their nest on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture on Sunday, two days after the first sibling became the first to do so in 38 years, the Environment Ministry said.
The possibility is high that the three will come back to the nest or stay in nearby trees for awhile. Still, the incident marked a landmark for Japan, which tried for years to save the bird from extinction and used artificial breeding to reintroduce the species to the wild.
The ministry said video surveillance confirmed that three chicks born to a 3-year-old male and 2-year-old female released into the wild last March left their nest at least once on Sunday morning. The ministry has been watching the nest via online video feed since May 5.
On Sado, five more chicks were born later to two more pairs of ibises and are expected to leave their nests by late June.
Japan has been trying to repopulate the endangered species since 2008.