Crested Ibis National Park

Crested ibis (Nipponia nippon) is a big beautiful and graceful wading bird unique to the east of Asia. Having the smallest number among the living birds on today's earth, it is internationally recognized as one of the world's rarest birds and it is listed as an endangered species. At the 12th International Bird Protection Conference held in 1960, this bird was designated as a "bird of international protection".

Over 200 years ago, crested ibis maintained normal population numbers in the west and northeast of China, particularly along the lower reaches of the Heilong River, northeast China, and even along the Yangtze River, in Russia, Korea and Japan, where the birds and their nests, built in pines, poplars and other taIl trees, had once been a common sight. In early 19th century, China had been its major habitat, where the bird had a comparatively great population at the Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi Province, northwest China. It had been found in China's 14 provinces even in the 1930's. It was lost from sight in China, however, since 1960's, and then it came to extinction in Russia and Korea as well. It was thought a lost bird from earth until 7 crested ibises and 2 nesting places were discovered by a Chinese scientist at Yang County, Shaanxi province, northwest China in 1981, where the land is filled with low mountains, hills, gentle slopes and wide valleys, that are mantled with lush forests of oaks, poplars, willows etc. Brooks and streams crisscross at the bottoms of the valleys, and paddy fields blanket the stream banks.

Unfortunately, different unfavorable conditions, particularly human disturbances caused by population growth and environmental pollution, have resulted in the serious damage and great shrinkage of its natural habitats. So far, about less than 100 in all are the known crested ibises in the wild throughout the world, and all the birds of its kind in the wild are found only in Yang County, Shaanxi province, northwest China. Such a small number shows that the bird is on the verge of extinction. The bird, therefore, is now one of the most valuable and the rarest birds in China at the first level of state protection.

Endowed with white body, pink wings, black, slender and crooked bill adorned with scarlet tip and base, red head with a feather crest, the bird looks like a wild goose, and measures 67-80 centimeters in length and 1.4-1.9 kilograms in weight. It is called "red bird" or "red crane" for its vermilion face, legs, wingtips as well as the undersides of its glossy tail feather glistening with scarlet in the bright sunlight when it is in flight, making it a lovely bird.

The crested ibis, a resident bird, inhabits the south slopes of the Qinling Mountains at the elevation between 900 -1,400 meters, where it builds nests in tall trees. It prefers a quiet, undisturbed area with sparse population, a plenty of uncontaminated paddy fields, brooks or streams and clean environment. It has varied items on its menu that includes loaches, fish, tadpoles, shrimps, frogs, crabs, river snails and insects, occasionally earthworms, which it collects from the shallows, showing its careful selection of its habitat and food.

The crested ibis practices monogyny; which binds the couple together for ever, therefore, none of the couple will mate with another bird again unless the mate died. The appearance of grayish feather, scientifically called breeding feather, in its neck and back in January; marks the beginning of the couple's frequent mating, which often occurs on the big branches around its nest between 6:30 to 9:30 in the morning, and lasts for 3 -8 seconds. Mating is made in all seasons but primarily between January and March, during which the couple often makes false mating to show their affections and to distract any intruder's attention, dropping a hint to the intruder to get away at once when any bird intrudes their nesting area.

Following mating, the couple shares the task of nest-building in a tree of over 20 meters tall. The simple nest is made of branches of oak, fresh tree leaves and grasses. The female bird lays one brood of eggs once a year between March and April, each brood containing 2-4 eggs, one of which is laid in every 2 days. The brown-green egg is as big as duck's egg, weighing 80-85 grams.

The couple takes turns in incubation, that begins with the first egg. One of the parental birds never leaves the nest during the 2830 days of incubative period unless some intruder comes up to make disturbance. When their nest is intruded, the couple including the bird in incubation, takes flight over their nest to drive the intruder away.

The parental birds also take turns to serve their chicks as babysitters and sentinels. One of the parental birds takes care of the chicks in their nest, and another goes to the fields to collect food for the chicks. The parental birds feed their young in a peculiar way.They turn the solid food that they collected from the fields into semidigested milky food and keep it in their crops. When one of the parental birds gets back to their nest, it opens its mouth for the hungry chicks, who eagerly insert their bills one after another into the parental bird's throat to ransack the food that the parental bird turns out of its crop. The chicks are able to walk on the branches around their nest in 30 days, and then follow their parents seeking food in the fields during the 45-50 days of rearing period. Traveling together with their parents in the fields for 15 days, the chicks gradually leave their parents for plains and hilly areas with a plenty of food and water where they live by themselves. They will not return to their " parents' nest until the next breeding period.

A crested ibis family usually confines itself to its nest, but the birds keep associations among families of their kind, who travel together for several times before nest-selection, nest-building, breeding and after the chicks left the nests, although almost no mutual visits are made in incubative and rearing periods. The chicks who have become adults come to visit their parents in the next breeding period. After that, they will dwell somewhere else by themselves and will never travel together with their parents.

Crested ibis has a gentle disposition, but it is vulnerable to attacks by some birds of prey who steal their eggs and chicks, forming a major threat to crested ibis. Crow, gold cat, leopard cat, hawk, magpie and snake often attack its chicks though they are neighbors of the crested ibis. Weasel also is a predator of crested ibis.

Shortly after the bird was discovered, a protecting station, later upgraded into a national park in 1983, was set up to protect the bird and its habitat in every way possible. A series of juristic, administrative and economic regulations were enacted. Day-and-night close observations have been being carried out to get detailed knowledge about the bird, and to ensure the greatest safety of the bird from any hungry animals spying on the ground and in the air. Human poachers are kept under observations as well, and are punished by law.Application of pesticide and chemical fertilizer is prohibited in the paddy fields where the bird seeks for food; land reclamation, logging and hunting are banned in the areas where the bird frequents.

Wintertime brings a hard time for crested ibis who fares poorly because of a serious shortage of natural food. The park employees, therefore, spread a great number of loaches and fish that they foraged from a far distance into the paddy fields where the crested ibis uses to seek food. Artificial food supply spares the bird from starvation. Human sentinels work under the birds' nests in all seasons, particularly in breeding period, to guard against any intruders. In every rearing period, weak and sick chicks are rescued through artificial rearing and emergency. The effective protection has brought the bird back from extinction.

The luxuriantly forested mountains and hills, the vast expanse of plains studded with paddy fields and orchards which are dotted with farmhouses offer a peaceful, quiet and beautiful rustic views. Spring brings brilliant wildflowers all over the park. From October, the park's hardwood forests turn to their autumn colors. Entire hillsides erupt in explosions of yellows, reds and oranges punctuated by the dark evergreens. The park and its adjacent areas are prolific in the production of oranges and tangerines. In autumn, the park is festooned by a colorful display of fall foliage and the air is scented with a refreshing citrus fragrance. A taste of the local fruits and the tea made of the tea leaves produced in the park will make your visit to the park more impressive.