China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs' official Facebook account, CHINA MFA Spokesperson, broadcasted live to a global audience the hatching of crested ibis chicks in Deqing county, Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, on April 21.

This annual event, occurring between March and June, marks the breeding season for the crested ibis.

This year, Zhejiang's first batch of artificially incubated ibis chicks hatched on April 14 at Deqing's Xiazhu Lake Crested Ibis Breeding Base. By the end of the breeding season, the ibis population in Deqing is expected to surpass 900.

Crested ibises at the Xiazhu Lake National Wetland Park in Deqing county, Huzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

The crested ibis is one of the oldest bird species on Earth, often referred to as a "living fossil". Once critically endangered with a global population reduced to just seven, the species is classified as a world rare and endangered bird and is under national first-class protection in China.

In 2008, Deqing initiated an artificial translocation and wild population reconstruction project by introducing five pairs of crested ibises from Zhouzhi county, Xi'an, Shaanxi province, to the Xiazhu Lake Wetland.

This effort established the first southern population, and it has since grown into the largest crested ibis artificial breeding base in the country, boasting the largest captive population worldwide.