The Shanxi Forestry and Grassland Bureau held a special news conference on Nov 7 to mark the 40th anniversary of naming the brown eared-pheasant as the provincial bird of Shanxi province. It announced the latest findings of a species-specific survey.

The survey revealed that the province's total distribution area of brown eared-pheasants has reached 11,900 square kilometers, with 5,500 sq km of suitable forest habitat. The province's average population of brown eared-pheasants is around 19,000, indicating a steady increase in population numbers.

A brown eared-pheasant. [Photo/Yellow River News]

As a unique Chinese bird species, the pheasant is a national first-level key protected wild animal. The province's conservation efforts have spanned 40 years since the brown eared-pheasant was named the provincial bird of Shanxi in 1984.

During the news conference, Yue Kuiqing, deputy director of the Shanxi Forestry and Grassland Bureau, highlighted improvements made to the brown eared-pheasant's environment through measures such as enhanced publicity and education, habitat protection, scientific research, rescue breeding, and relocation protection trials.

The brown eared-pheasants. [Photo/Yellow River News]

Yue also pointed out that, compared to the 1990s, the bird's numbers have steadily grown as the number of counties and nature reserves where the brown eared-pheasant is distributed has increased.

For future conservation efforts, Shanxi will focus on enhancing habitat protection, improving forest quality, and providing a high-quality environment for the nesting and reproduction of rare animals like the brown eared-pheasant.

Furthermore, Shanxi will strengthen publicity and collaborative protection efforts, forming alliances and interacting with neighboring provinces to enhance the brown-eared pheasant's conservation effectiveness.