Shutterbugs spot endangered birds near village in E China’s Jiangxi

Photo shows a white-eared night heron captured in a village in Wuning county, Jiujiang city, east China’s Jiangxi Province. (Photo/Hu Yaping)

Photography enthusiasts recently observed five white-eared night herons in a village in Wuning county, Jiujiang city, east China’s Jiangxi Province. Of the five white-eared night herons, two of the birds were fully-mature adults while three were chicks.

The white-eared night heron is classified as one of the 30 most endangered bird species in the world. Experts estimate that globally, there are just around 1,000 adult white-eared night herons living in the wild. The extremely rare white-eared night heron is known as the most “mystical” bird in the world.

Photo shows a white-eared night heron captured by a shutterbug in a village in Wuning county, Jiujiang city, east China’s Jiangxi Province. (Photo/Hu Yaping)

It is the second time that the bird has been spotted in Wuning. Last month, an injured white-eared night heron was rescued by local villagers in the county.

Wuning county has seen continuous improvements in the quality of its ecological environment. Its forest coverage rate stands at 75.96 percent, its negative oxygen ions per cubic centimeter amounts to 150,000, and the water quality of the rivers and lakes in the county is classified as Class I or above. 

Photo shows white-eared night herons captured by a shutterbug in a village in Wuning county, Jiujiang city, east China’s Jiangxi Province. (Photo/Hu Yaping)