Rare white-naped cranes spotted in E China
Updated 15:12, 05-Mar-2019
CGTN
["china"]
00:49
Three white-naped canes wearing tracking tags showed up on Monday in Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve in east China. This is the first time anyone spotted the tagged white-naped cranes this year.
The white-naped crane is a large bird that inhabits in spacious marshes and shallow wetlands where it can find plenty of seeds, grassroots, and insects to eat.
Two white-naped cranes fighting. /VCG Photo

Two white-naped cranes fighting. /VCG Photo

The bird ringing,or tag, attached to its leg or wing is used to keep track of its information including movements, reproduction and other scientific data.
“The researchers of Mongolia use these rings to study the reproduction of the white-naped cranes and to observe their migration routes," said Wang Xiaolong, staff member of Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve.
The white-naped crane is a migrant bird found throughout northeast China, northeast Mongolia and some areas of southeast Russia. It usually migrates to Jiangxi, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, sometimes reaching Fujian and Taiwan in winter.
A cluster of white-naped cranes standing in the sun. /VCG Photo

A cluster of white-naped cranes standing in the sun. /VCG Photo

“In the mid to late March, when the spring comes and the temperature rises, the white-naped cranes will leave Poyang Lake. But this year, it has been raining all the time and the temperature is relatively low, so the birds might postpone the date to restore their home,” Wang said.
This crane is threatened by habitat loss and overhunting. It is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and is under second-class state protection in China.
(Cover image via VCG.)
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