Most mysterious bird observed in Guizhou

Zhang Weimin, a senior engineer of the wildlife protection department of the Qianxinan Forestry Bureau, said that in May this year researchers hunkered down in a bird surveillance project. After a long period of careful observation, two adult White-Eared Night Herons and three young have been found in the suburbs of Ceheng county, Qianxinan prefecture.

"To avoid disturbing them, we didn't take any close observation or release any information to the public. These young birds have grown up and flown away until mid-June," Zhang said.

The breeding period of the heron is approximately four months, from nesting to flying out. Zhang said the birds would have nested there in mid-February.

Yi Maohong, director of the wildlife protection department of the Guizhou Forestry Bureau, said five birds were found in this observation. The adult birds are in gray-brown fuzz with white spots and are about 55 centimeters long. They also have very big eyes and long thin beaks.

"Bird migrations have relatively fixed routes and areas, but some randomness also exists. We will continue to strengthen the monitoring and hope to see them return to the nest next year. We will have recorded the entire breeding process then," Yi said.

Wang Jin contributed to this story.