The rare Asian emerald cuckoo was photographed at Changpoling National Forest Park in Guiyang on July 28.

“Seeing its verdant wings and radiant brass-like chest, I thought the bird was a new species,” said Li Yi, a worker from the park who first spotted the bird.

The Asian emerald cuckoo was included in the list of terrestrial wildlife under state protection by the State Forestry Administration in 2000. It can be found in the Indo-China Peninsula and Malay Peninsula. Its habitats in China include Sichuan, Yunnan, Hubei, Guizhou and Hainan provinces. However, Guiyang had no official sightings of the bird since 2008.

The sighting of a bird is encouraging for wildlife conservationists and local authorities suggest that Guizhou’s ecological environment is improving. Other rare migratory birds have been spotted there this year, including the collared crow, which was spotted in Songtao county in northeastern Guizhou, and the nationally-endangered crested ibis, which was spotted around Caohai Lake.

Asian Emerald Cuckoo found in Guiyang. [Photo/gzqss.cn]