The population of the crested ibis, an endangered bird once thought to be extinct, is thriving in an ecological park in Tongchuan City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Despite the recent extreme cold and heavy snowfall, crested ibises are enjoying their time pattering their wings and leisurely foraging in snowflakes. 

The crested ibis is an endangered species under first-class protection in China. When the bird was thought to be extinct globally, Chinese scientists discovered seven wild crested ibises in Yangxian County, Shaanxi Province, in 1981. These seven individuals were believed to be the last living ones in the world. Since then, they have been living in the south of the Qinling Mountains, a geographical dividing line between northern China and southern China. 

In 2013, Tongchuan became the first to release artificially incubated crested ibises back into nature in the north of the Qinling Mountains. 

Wang Huaqiang, director of Tongchuan's Yaozhou District Wild Animal Protection and Management Station, said that with the local environment improved in recent years, the bird's newborns have been increasing steadily in the region, and their range of activity has been expanding north of the dividing line.

"As the afforestation area of Tongchuan increases year by year, the sky is bluer and the water is cleaner, and the crested ibises living here are having a comfortable life. Another 16 crested ibis chicks were bred in the wild in 2019. Up to now, a total of 85 crested ibises have been successfully bred in the wild in Tongchuan and they are all in good condition," said Wang. 

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