A pair of red-billed blue magpies have been spotted brooding eggs and raising chicks in Baokang County, central China's Hubei Province.
The pair built a nest in a bamboo grove and laid four eggs. They took turns incubating the eggs, which hatched after about two weeks. Since then, the magpies have been seen flying back and forth between the nest and the surrounding mountain forests, hunting for worms and searching for fruit to feed their nestlings.
The red-billed blue magpie is widely distributed in China and is recognized as a beneficial species with significant ecological and scientific research value.
Red-billed blue magpie pair seen raising chicks in Hubei
China leads the world in direct utilization of geothermal energy, with its geothermal heating and cooling area reaching 1.65 billion square meters, according to the China Geological Survey (CGS) on Sunday.
During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), the country will focus on three geothermal regions -- north China, northeast China and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as four geothermal belts including the southeastern coastal area, to identify target zones for exploration and development, the CGS said.
Geothermal energy is a stable, low-carbon renewable resource with substantial reserves and high efficiency. China has long maintained the world's leading position in the scale of direct geothermal energy utilization.
China leads world in direct utilization of geothermal energy
