Return of the Bird:  China's miraculous revival of the crested ibis

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The crested ibis is a type of bird which has been around for more than 60 million years. But at one point, its entire population worldwide dwindled down to a mere seven, found in northwest China. The subsequent revival of the species was nothing short of a conservation miracle. Tao Yuan finds out how researchers and conservationists in China did it.

They may not be much to look at when they are standing still. Until they flap their wings and take off. The crested ibis once flourished in northeast Asia. But in the 1960s, the widespread use of pesticides and fertilizers, and a loss of habitat all but wiped out the entire species.

TAO YUAN YANG COUNTY, SHAANXI PROVINCE "For a long time, ornithologists weren't even sure if the crested ibis still existed in the world. And after years of painstaking field research, a breakthrough came in 1981. Seven birds were discovered right here in the very county called Yang in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. And those seven birds were thought to be the last remaining ones in the entire world."

For ornithologist Liu Yinzeng, it was excitement beyond words. Three years searching across nine provinces, and he was beginning to think he'd never see one.

LIU YINZENG ORNITHOLOGIST,  CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES "I saw one feeding by the pond. I took out my camera and crawled toward it. I was so worried I might scare it off. I took a picture every few meters. The shutter sounded thunderous to me."

Through a successful breeding program, the crested ibis population has now grown to around 3,000 birds.  Some have been released back into the wild.   Every year around this time, Zhang Xiaotian and his colleagues bring the chicks down from their nests to tag them with tracking devices, hoping to record the birds' lives as they grow.   He counts himself lucky. Because his predecessors had it much harder.

ZHAO XIAOTIAN CONSERVATIONIST "They used to have to live out in the wild and just watch the birds 24/7 to make sure they were safe. The fact that we have all these scientific methods now to protect them is amazing."

Back then it was hard to imagine this would happen -   Officials and experts from China, Japan, South Korea and Russia, historical habitats of the crested ibis, coming together in Yang County to discuss the future of the species.

At the age of 82, Liu Yinzeng also came back.   

LIU YINZENG ORNITHOLOGIST,  CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES "It was all worth it. I can sit here all day to watch these birds."

The birds that he helped save from the very brink of extinction. TY, CGTN, Yang County, Shaanxi Province.