Forty-five years ago, scientists found the world’s last seven wild crested ibises in China’s northwestern Shaanxi province. Fast forward to the end of 2025. The bird’s worldwide number was now more than 12,000.
The species’ status has been lowered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Once “Critically Endangered”, the species is now “Endangered”.
In the past, the crested ibis lived all over East Asia. But changes in the environment and human activity caused almost all of them to die out in the wild.
Li Jie is the deputy head of the Yangxian county government in Shaanxi province. He said China had banned hunting, tree cutting, the use of pesticides and fertilisers, and land clearing.
Today, the crested ibis can be found across the Yangtze River and the Yellow River.
