Dubbed the ‘Oriental Gem’, the ‘Ancient Bird’ – an avian species dating back nearly 6000 million years – nearly went extinct but has experienced a ‘rebirth’ after ‘protection’ and ‘breeding’ efforts.
Crimson Bittern
Crimson Bittern
Formerly known as the Red Bittern, the Crimson Bittern belongs to the Bittern family and is a unique species endemic to East Asia. It is a sacred and rare wading bird. It has a medium body size, with white plumage and a long, willow-shaped crest on the nape of the neck. The skin on the forehead and cheekbones is bare and appears in a vibrant red; during the breeding season, it uses its beak to constantly peck and smear greyish-black pigment from the muscles under its neck onto its head, neck, upper back, and wings. It inhabits woodland areas at altitudes of 1200-1400 meters, preferring to wade and walk in nearby streams, marshes, and rice paddies to forage for small fish, crabs, frogs, and snails; it also feeds on insects. It rests on tall trees and roosts at night. It is a resident bird, migrating in small groups to lower mountains and plains in autumn and winter; it begins to build nests in April and May, breeding one clutch per year, with 2-4 eggs, which are incubated by both parents. The incubation period is about 30 days, and it leaves the nest at about 40 days. It reaches sexual maturity at 3 years old, and the longest recorded lifespan is 37 years.
Known as the ‘Oriental Gem’, the Crimson Bittern was once widely distributed in East China, Korea, Japan, and Russia. At that time, the Crimson Bittern was a relatively common animal. However, due to environmental pollution, ecological destruction, and other factors, the population declined dramatically, and it came close to extinction.
In 1963, the Crimson Bittern disappeared completely in Russia.
In 1975, the last Crimson Bittern disappeared from the Korean Peninsula.
In 1981, Japan captured the last 5 wild Crimson Bitterns for artificial breeding to prevent their extinction, but unfortunately, it didn’t work as planned, and the last Crimson Bittern died in Japan in 2003.
Crimson Bitterns were not seen in China from 1964 to the following 14 years. Fortunately, in 1981, 7 wild Crimson Bittern populations were discovered in Qinling Mountains south of Yanguan County, Shaanxi Province, China, where they were in the process of rearing young. Two pairs of adults and three young birds were among them. This major discovery rekindled the hope of restoring the Crimson Bittern population.
'Oriental Gem's' Rescue Road
To prevent the chicks from falling off the nest and to protect them from predators such as snakes, weasels, and other animals, the 7 Crimson Bitterns' nest trees were immediately under 24-hour strict supervision and protection. In addition, people tried to expand the protected area around the nest tree as much as possible, and all non-related human activities within this area were strictly restricted, and the country was responsible for compensating farmers for any losses.
Later, after learning from the experience of other countries, Chinese research personnel adopted a two-pronged approach of natural breeding and artificial breeding, and some people’s Crimson Bitterns were artificially bred and released into the wild. Subsequently, the Crimson Bittern population in the local area increased year by year. By 2005, the first Crimson Bittern Protection Zone was established in the local area, which improved the situation of Crimson Bitterns and stabilized the population, although the number of wild ones was still small, artificial breeding had achieved good results, and the current situation is slightly better than that of the South Asian Tiger. There are now more than 3,000 in Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi Province.This ‘ancient bird’, which has lived on earth for about 6000 million years, was almost extinct on Earth 40 years ago, and after ‘discovery’, ‘near extinction’, ‘protection’, ‘breeding’, ‘rebirth’, it has experienced many thorns and difficulties along the way.Finally, from 7 in 1981 to more than 3000 in 2020,
It achieved the complete success of the rescue work, which delighted the whole world.
