A yellow-breasted bunting is observed in Dongyang, Jinhua. [Photo/Tide News]

Over 20 yellow-breasted buntings were recently observed in Dongyang, Jinhua, Zhejiang province, marking the first and largest recorded population of these birds in the area.

The yellow-breasted bunting, a national first-class protected wildlife, serves as a crucial indicator of the city's ecological health and the presence of a whole flock signifies a clear improvement in Dongyang's ecological environment in recent years.

Dongyang has also identified two other nationally protected first-class species — the white-necked long-tailed pheasant and the Chinese pangolin. The addition of the yellow-breasted bunting further enhances its ecological diversity and provides valuable data for ongoing species research, according to Ye Duo, a Ph. D at the Biodiversity Laboratory of Zhejiang Normal University.

Editor: Xu Zhitian