An image of 5 glossy ibises, a rare bird once thought to be extinct in China, has recently been captured by an amateur bird photographer in a paddy field of Dongguan. This is the first detection of glossy ibis, a national first-class protected wild animal in the country, setting a new record for the bird species in Dongguan.

The glossy ibis is a water bird that belongs to the order Pelecaniformes and the spoonbill family: Threskiornithidae. They have long slender bodies and reddish-brown plumage with a down-curved bill. The color of its plumage changes with the angle of light, hence the name “glossy ibis”. They prefer to live in groups mainly in warm lakes and rivers and sometimes move to marshes and irrigated farmland. The birds feed on small invertebrates such as aquatic insects, larval insects, shrimp, andbeetles.

近日，有摄影爱好者在东莞一稻田新发现5只彩鹮——一度被认为在中国绝迹的珍稀鸟类。这是东莞首次野外监测到国家一级保护野生动物彩鹮，是东莞鸟类新记录。

彩鹮属于鸟纲、鹈形目、鹮科、彩鹮属的鸟类，其体型修长，羽毛栗紫色，鸟喙似弯刀，羽色会随着光照角度而改变，由此得名“彩鹮”。彩鹮主要栖息在温暖的河湖及沼泽附近，有时也会到稻田中活动，性喜群居，主要以水生昆虫、昆虫幼虫、虾、甲壳类、软体动物等小型无脊椎动物为食。

文/羊城晚报全媒体记者 张爱丽 通讯员 林荫