Endangered hill partridge spotted in southwest China

Several Sichuan partridges, officially known as Arborophila rufipectus, an endangered bird species, were spotted in the Wumeng Mountains National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province, the reserve said Saturday.

The video footage, captured for the first time by an infrared camera in a recent survey of animal resources, showed several Sichuan partridges foraging for plant fruits, seeds and other food on the ground.

The wild species is endemic to China under top-level national protection and was classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, said Ma Liang, director of the reserve.

The Sichuan partridges mainly live in virgin forests, Ma said, noting that the mature ecosystem in the reserve is mostly intact and suitable for the survival and reproduction of this species.

Infrared cameras also captured footage of protected Asiatic black bears, silver pheasants and Lady Amherst's pheasants, as well as other rare wildlife in the reserve.

Editor: John Li