China reports recovery of endangered bird populations, strengthens AI-powered protection

China has made significant progress in bird conservation, with populations of many endangered species continuing to recover, according to data released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) on Thursday.

The NFGA said populations of 19 nationally protected bird species, including the crested ibis, Saunders's gull and brown eared-pheasant, are stable or increasing. The population of the Baer's pochard reached 2,555 in 2025, more than doubling from about 1,000 in 2012. The blue-crowned laughingthrush increased from 550 in 2024 to around 660, while the green peafowl population exceeded 1,000.

A nationwide survey conducted in January recorded 6.324 million wintering waterbirds from 167 species across 19 families and nine orders. The total was up 158.9% from the 2.443 million recorded in the country's first synchronized wintering waterbird survey in 2016, marking a record high.

China has also identified 1,140 important habitats along migratory bird flyways and continues to improve its conservation and monitoring network, the NFGA said.

Four of the world's nine major migratory bird flyways pass through China. Authorities have further identified 821 key habitats for strengthened protection and ecological restoration to provide better conditions for migration, breeding and wintering birds.

At the Nandagang Wetland and Bird Nature Reserve in Cangzhou, north China's Hebei Province, an important stopover and breeding site on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, monitoring equipment and systems are being upgraded.

Ranger Feng Guoqiang said the new system can accurately locate birds in areas that were once difficult to patrol on foot, greatly improving conservation efficiency.

This year, the reserve upgraded its integrated research and monitoring platform with 21 artificial intelligence (AI)-powered high-definition cameras, nine acoustic monitoring systems and three intelligent drones.

According to Wang Lijun, deputy director of the reserve's administration, the upgraded 16-megapixel cameras can capture clearer images of both migratory and resident birds throughout feeding, breeding and nesting activities.

In Lanshan County of Yongzhou, Hunan Province, known as the "millennium bird migration corridor," authorities have introduced an AI-powered facial recognition system to detect suspected illegal bird hunters and send real-time alerts to frontline patrol teams.

According to Kuang Xiaojiang, deputy head of the law enforcement division of the county forestry bureau, more than 1,000 drone patrols and over 5,000 ground patrols have been carried out this year using smart management technologies, helping improve bird habitats and strengthen protection along the migration corridor.