Endangered birds begin to rebuild their populations

Oriental gems: Two crested ibises resting on a branch in Yangxian county, Northwest China’s Shaanxi province. — Xinhua

Beijing: Thanks to resolute protection efforts, several of China’s endangered birds have seen significant population growth over the past decades, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration revealed.

The crested ibis, known as “the oriental gem” and once thought to be extinct as a result of human activities such as urbanisation and pollution, has seen its population boom from seven in 1981 to more than 5,000 now.