After 8 years, 16 Crested Ibis returned home! Why did they go abroad?

"The graceful crested ibis comes to the spring pond and rests on the green trees. Its feathers are as white as silk and its color is as red as dye. It folds its wings as it flies far away." This is the "ecological elf" described by Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ji - the crested ibis. It is of medium size and pure white, with only the wings and tail dotted with crimson. When it spreads its wings and soars, it looks like clouds in the sky.

On October 31, 16 crested ibises born in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan were returned to China. This was the first return of crested ibises in eight years since 2016.

The crested ibis is known as the "gem of the East". According to the memorandum between China and Japan, Japan needs to return half of the offspring bred by the crested ibis provided by China to China. What kind of bird is the crested ibis? Why does it want to "go abroad"?

Endemic to East Asia.

It has lived on Earth for more than 60 million years.

The crested ibis, also known as the crested ibis or the Japanese crested ibis, has survived on Earth for more than 60 million years. It is endemic to East Asia and the only bird in the genus Crested Ibis.

As a national first-class protected wild animal, the Crested Ibis is known as the "Oriental Gem" and "Bird of Good Luck". Its beak is slender and curved at the end, about 18 cm long, dark brown, and red at the end. The skin from the forehead to the cheek is exposed and bright red. The plumage of males and females is similar, and the legs are about 9 cm long and red.

Usually, the crested ibis moves alone, in pairs or small groups. It is solitary and does not like to mix with other species of birds. It moves slowly, flaps its wings slowly when flying, stretches its head and neck forward, and tucks its feet under its tail feathers. It mainly feeds on small animals such as small fish, loaches, shrimps, crabs, frogs, insects, and occasionally eats some plant food. The crested ibis lives and builds nests on tall trees, and there must be abundant food resources nearby. Its habitat is generally in mountainous forests and hilly areas, especially near rivers, lakes, fish ponds and rice fields.

"Rebirth" from desperate situation, the population is spread all over the country and abroad

Historically, the Crested Ibis was widely distributed in China, the Russian Far East, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. In my country, it was widely distributed in 20 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), including Heilongjiang, Beijing, Henan, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Crested Ibis was almost everywhere in Shaanxi.

However, due to environmental changes and human activities, the number of crested ibises has gradually decreased. In the 1960s, the distribution range of crested ibises in Shaanxi Province further retreated until it was difficult to find its traces in the province. In 1964, an individual collected in Kang County, Gansu Province was once regarded as the "last record" of Chinese crested ibises. In 1981, Chinese scientists discovered seven wild crested ibises in Yang County, Shaanxi Province, which was considered to be the only remaining wild crested ibises in the world at that time. In October 2003, with the death of the last wild crested ibis in Japan, the crested ibises of Japanese origin were completely extinct.

In order to effectively protect the crested ibis, my country has established nature reserves and breeding bases, and restored natural habitats and feeding grounds such as wetlands and rivers that are suitable for the crested ibis. At the same time, rescue protection measures such as artificial breeding, in situ protection and ex situ protection have been implemented, which has increased the breeding success rate of the crested ibis year by year.

After decades of efforts, my country's crested ibis conservation work has achieved remarkable results. According to statistics, the crested ibis population has increased from 7 when it was discovered to more than 11,000 at present, and the area of ​​wild population habitat has also increased significantly. The crested ibis is not only distributed in many provinces in my country, but has also successfully "flown" to Japan, South Korea and other places.

Cooperation and exchange to continue the cultural and ecological value of the Crested Ibis

From the brink of extinction to soaring into the sky, China's protection of the crested ibis is internationally recognized as a model for endangered animal protection.

The crested ibis is a transnational species, and my country has actively carried out international cooperation and exchanges to protect it. For example, China once donated crested ibis to Japan, and jointly carried out breeding and wild release work, which not only promoted the increase of the crested ibis population, but also improved the scientific and technological level of protection work.

In recent years, with the increase in the population of crested ibises and the restoration of their habitats, some countries have begun to return some crested ibises to their countries of origin or conduct international exchanges. The 16 crested ibises returned by Japan this time are another important achievement of the cooperation between China and Japan in the protection of crested ibises.

The crested ibis is a bird of great ecological value and cultural symbolism. Although the crested ibis in Japan has become extinct, China has successfully protected the crested ibis population and introduced it to Japan through leasing and donation, in order to continue the cultural and ecological value of the crested ibis and make it a messenger of ecological culture between China and Japan.

The breeding and protection of the crested ibis have achieved remarkable results, thanks to various protection measures and international cooperation. The return of the crested ibis is also a recognition of the cooperation between China and Japan in the field of wildlife protection.

(The author Zhong Zhenyu is the deputy director of the Beijing Biodiversity Conservation Research Center)