(260605) -- HANZHONG, June 5, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Wild crested ibises are seen near Yanbao Village, Yangxian County of Hanzhong City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, June 4, 2026. The crested ibis, with its iconic red crest and long black beak, was once widely distributed across East Asia and Russia's Siberia. It was thought to be extinct in China until seven wild birds appeared in Shaanxi Province's Yangxian County in 1981. That discovery marked the start of China's national crested ibis conservation campaign.
Forty-five years after the rediscovery of the world's last seven wild crested ibises in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the endangered bird has established stable populations in 15 provincial-level regions across the country, demonstrating exceptional conservation success.
As of the end of 2025, the global population of the crested ibis had exceeded 12,000, and its habitat had expanded to more than 20,000 square kilometers, according to the latest statistics from the Forestry Bureau of Shaanxi Province. The species has been lowered from the "Critically Endangered" status to "Endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)
