Noble bird flourishes

Editor's note: As protection of the planet's flora, fauna and resources becomes increasingly important, China Daily is publishing a series of stories to illustrate the country's commitment to safeguarding the natural world.

Thanks to their dazzling tails, peafowls are often considered rare and auspicious in Chinese culture. Once with a dwindling population, the number of green peafowls in China has doubled over the past 10 years, and the population has grown to more than 820 this year, according to the latest statistics by the Yunnan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Administration.

In China, the birds exclusively inhabit Yunnan province. Shuangbai county in Chuxiong Yi autonomous prefecture has the largest population of them.

Last month, the number of green peafowls monitored by infrared cameras reached 430 — over seven times as many as the 56 recorded in 2015, said Wang Sineng, the director of the Dinosaur River Prefectural Nature Reserve in Shuangbai.

"According to genetic identification results, green peafowls in China are not entirely the same as those in any other country," Wang said.

Considered the prototype of the phoenix in traditional Chinese lore, green peafowls have exerted significant influence on the nation's culture over the past 2,000 years, according to bird expert Yang Xiaojun.

"Images of green peafowls can be found in many literary works and artistic pieces," said Yang, who retired from the Kunming Institute of Zoology in Yunnan, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. For example, The Peacock Flies Southeast is a famous long narrative poem from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).

"The common peafowl was only introduced to China from Southeast Asia in the 1980s and is now widely seen in zoos. However, during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and earlier, China only had the green peafowl, which is a native species," Yang said.

"Peafowls symbolize auspiciousness and nobility, holding great symbolic significance in Chinese culture," Wang said.

Yang added: "So there is special reason for Chinese to protect green peafowls. If they are gone, we won't be able to see the origin of the phoenix, a cultural symbol, anymore, and that would be truly sad."

Shi Yudie contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn