Following the first sightings of black-necked cranes in northwest China's Qinghai Province last year, their number in the upper reaches of the Kaike River has increased significantly, according to data from the province's Forestry and Grassland Bureau.

The black-necked crane is under first-class state protection in China. They live in China, India and Vietnam, but their largest population is in China, specifically the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.

The black-necked cranes' breeding season is from May to July.

The increase in the number of black-necked cranes reflects improvement in the local ecological environment, said the bureau.

(Cover image via VCG)

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