TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 04/17/2016 12:02 GMT + 7
The rare return of a member of the endangered red-headed cranes on March 8 after nearly two decades away has rewarded conservationists’ dedication and is expected to draw more visitors to an internationally recognized bird sanctuary in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta.
Nguyen Van Hung, director of Tram Chim National Park, spanning several communes of Tam Nong District in Dong Thap Province, said that he had accidentally snapped shots of a male ‘seu dau do’ (red-headed crane) to which he and his colleagues had attached a positioning device 18 years ago.
The bird is now feeding and nesting along with its new family at the sanctuary, which became the world’s 2,000th and Vietnam’s 4thRamsar site in February 2012.
The red-headed crane, the largest of the crane family and the world’s tallest flying bird, has teetered on the brink of global extinction over the past several years.
Carrying the scientific name Grus antigone, the non-migratory crane, which typically stands up to 1.8 meters tall, can be distinguished from other cranes by their overall grey color and distinctive red head and upper neck.
The number of red-headed cranes has declined steeply over the past century.
The bird has been listed in Vietnam’s Red Book and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Hung said it was the first time in ten years any bird with a tracking ring had returned to the park.
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