A black-necked crane has been spotted on a grassland in Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve in the Nujiang River area, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The rare bird was spotted at an altitude of about 1,800 meters. It is the first time that a black-necked crane has been captured on camera in the area, according to the reserve's staff.

There were about 5,000 to 6,000 of them worldwide in the 1990s, the number has now increased to over 10,000.

Authorities say they will increase daily patrols to better observe and protect the rare migratory birds.

Black-necked cranes are summer migratory birds. They mainly live in the highlands of China, India, Bhutan and Nepal, inhabiting meadows, wetlands, and lakes at an altitude of 2,500 to 5,000 meters.

The species is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

(Editor: Zhu Yingming; cover via VCG)

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