More than 10 rare endangered white cranes have shown up in recent days at Heilihe National Nature Reserve in Chifeng county in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

 

Six in the group are adults and their feathers are extremely white. Two of the cranes are infants. They can be identified from their yellow and red feathers.

 

White cranes are a unique wetland bird listed under top-level national protection. There are only 3,000 white cranes worldwide.

 

Poyanghu National Nature Reserve in Jiangxi province is the world's largest winter haven for white cranes. Around 98 percent of the world's white cranes spend their winters there.

 

(CRI November 15, 2006)