Huize Black-necked Crane Nature Reserve is located at the centre of the Wumeng mountainous area in the northeast of Yunnan province. The scenic spot is about 54 kilometers away from the county town.
The black-necked cranes as the national-level rare and endangered species of flora and fauna had been listed as key protection species. Moreover, for the sake of protection black storks and Chinese mergansers, they have already been included as the animal list of the nation a class protection. The black-necked crane could be one of China's three national treasures including the giant panda, golden monkey and black-necked crane.
People are saying that black-necked crane is the latest rare crane birds found by people also the world's only crane bird that inhabited in the high plateau. According to statistics supplied by the international bird experts, there are by far only over 4000 black-necked cranes in the world, yet the number of the hibernal black-necked cranes to the Huize Bridge and Changhaizi reservoir had reached 2000, which make the place become the world's greatest habitat for the black-necked crane population.
Owning to the self-motivated protection for many years by Huize people, black-necked cranes coming in droves from the faraway Qinghai-Xizang plateau to fly across thousands of mountains and rivers on the ninth of the ninth month every year, they inhabited and overwintered in the swamp of the nature reserve for black-necked cranes.
After a nature reserve for black-necked cranes was established on the middle reaches of Huize Bridge and Changhaizi Reservoir, the number of black-necked cranes wintering there has increased each year. When it comes to the third day of March at lunar month, the weather turned warmer, black-necked crane then queued up again, they got together and flew back one after another that they could tear themselves away from there. Always the same, year after year.
The years of rolling migrating, black-necked cranes are becoming increasingly enchanted with the Huize place as a land of true love. They had constructed a world outside garden as the peaceful and beautiful homeland of the Huize and Changhaizi nature reserve for black-necked cranes, which had made one natural scroll painting where the people lived in amity with the cranes.
These national level nature reserves for black-necked cranes with the luxuriant weeds and well-preserved wetland ecology are the most favorable natural habitat for black-necked cranes and other hibernal waterfowls. They're also the best environments for black-necked cranes upon which mankind depend for survival.
Black-necked cranes roam these natural reserves, along with many other species of animals and birds like grey cranes, black-headed gall and herons under state second-class protection. While the sun shone, the natural reserve came alive with a brilliance and beauty our city scenery just cannot equal. The song of birds heralds the approach of one day that could create a sight of spectacular grandeur. It could reasonably serve as the paradise of birds and black-necked cranes.