A sedge of rare sarus cranes has been discovered in the wetlands that surround Kachin State’s Indawgyi Lake.
A press statement released on June 22 by the British-based biodiversity and conservation group, Fauna and Flora International, said they first made the discovery of the distinctive red-headed bird in December 2013.
“First we just saw their charismatic red heads sticking out of the tall green grass but through our telescopes we soon spotted the amazing number of nine individuals,” said Ko Ngwe Lwin, FFI’s project manager at Indawgyi Lake.
FFI said the species is the tallest of the flying birds, measuring up to 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) in height and is occasionally spotted in Rakhine State and the Ayeyarwady Delta, but is rarely seen in such numbers in northern Myanmar.
“Finding this large group of sarus crane in Indawgyi area has shown us that this species, which is classified as vulnerable…is still safe in the Indawgyi area,” Ko Ngwe Lwin said.
“We hope to see more in the future.”
Ko Ngwe Lwin added that the FFI is now planning a specific sarus crane survey, with the hope of gaining insight that might help determine threats to the species.
“We have alerted local communities not to destroy their nests or to attempt to catch the cranes,” Ko Ngwe Lwin said.
Sarus cranes are large non-migratory birds found in parts of the Indian Subcontinent, Indochina and Australia.
