TOKYO, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- An albatross has returned to the island where it was raised nearly three years after leaving, officials in Japan said.
The bird was found on the island of Mukojima, where it was transferred as a chick only one month old from its natural habitat in the Izu Islands, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
The bird was moved from its original habitat along with nine others in May 2008 because it was feared volcanic eruptions on Torishima would kill them.
A researcher found the 3-year-old male Thursday, indicating it recognized Mukojima as its birthplace. Researchers said they hoped the birds relocated to the island would return and breed within the next few years.
Getting the birds to return to their breeding ground is the "biggest hurdle, as we can only rely on the bird's homing instinct," said Kiyoaki Ozaki, an official with the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology. "We hope many of the birds return and breed."
Five of the birds were fitted with global positioning devices and four were confirmed to have reached the Bering Sea by the summer of 2008.
The distance between the island from which the birds were taken and where the albatross was found is greater than 200 miles.
