A flock of brown-eared pheasants, a wild bird species under first-class national protection in China, was recently spotted in Shanxi Province in the country's north.
Staff at the Xingtang Temple scenic area in Hongtong County, Linfen City, captured rare close-up footage of the flock of 12 brown-eared pheasants foraging together.
Brown-eared pheasants, which live in family groups, occasionally come down from the mountains to forage during autumn and winter before returning to higher ground. The recent sighting marked the first time the birds have been seen in such a large group and at such a close range in the scenic area.
The wild birds are found mainly in forest areas in north China's Shanxi, Hebei and Beijing, and northwest China's Shaanxi Province. The species came close to extinction in the 1980s due to growing human activity and damage to forest ecosystems.
To protect the bird, Shanxi has gradually improved its in-situ conservation system, with the Hongtong section of the Taiyue Mountains in Linfen serving as one of its key habitats and breeding grounds. These efforts have brought the local brown-eared pheasant population to around 500.
Rare brown-eared pheasants spotted in north China's Shanxi
