A group of rare ibis, once thought extinct in China, have been spotted in a nature reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Eight glossy ibises were first sighted by workers in Jianhu Lake wetland nature reserve in Jianchuan County during a patrol in early June. Through follow-up monitoring and observation, researchers have found three young birds in the nest of the glossy ibis.

"It was the first breeding record of glossy ibis in Yunnan," said Wu Heqi from Kunming Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "The discovery can be significant in future studies and protection of the rare ibis."

The glossy ibis, a close relative to the endangered crested ibis, is under second-class state protection in China. Experts once believed the birds had become extinct in China as their habitat was destroyed by human activity and pollution.