Once near extinction, native pheasant now recovering

The population of wild brown-eared pheasants, a first-level protected bird species in China, is steadily increasing and its range is expanding, experts said at a recent commemorative event in Taiyuan, Shanxi province.

The species is unique to China and mainly found in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. In 1984, the Shanxi government designated the pheasant as the provincial bird.

"In the 1980s, the brown-eared pheasant was on the brink of extinction," Yue Kuiqing, deputy director of the Shanxi Forestry and Grassland Bureau, said at the commemorative event, marking the 40th anniversary of the provincial designation.

"After more than four decades of continuous effort, significant progress has been made in the conservation of this bird," he added. "Measures such as strengthening publicity and education, habitat protection, scientific research, rescue breeding, experimental relocation and the monitoring and control of wildlife diseases have effectively improved the survival environment for the pheasants."