Researchers have discovered a family of three black-necked cranes at a wetland in Northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo/gs.chinanews.com]

LANZHOU -- Researchers have discovered a family of three black-necked cranes at a wetland in Northwest China's Gansu province, marking the first time these rare high-plateau birds have been found breeding in a low-altitude area.

The cranes -- a male, a female and a chick -- were spotted at a wetland by the Hulu River in Guazhou county in the city of Jiuquan, at an altitude of 1,320 meters, according to a team engaged in wildlife biodiversity monitoring and protection at Lanzhou University.

Zhang Lixun, who heads the team, said the species traditionally reproduces in plateau wetlands at an altitude of over 2,000 meters.

The captured image of the crane chick, which is too young to have migrated from elsewhere, has proved that the species reproduced at the relatively low altitude area, said Zhang.

A species under China's first-class national protection, black-necked cranes mainly live in meadows, wetlands and lakes in the highlands of China, India, Bhutan and Nepal.

According to a national survey in 2022, the population of black-necked cranes in China exceeds 16,000. They mainly reproduce in provincial-level areas of Gansu, Sichuan, Qinghai, Tibet and Xinjiang.