ZHENGZHOU -- A flock of yellow-breasted buntings, a critically endangered species, were recently sighted in Central China's Henan province, according to a local nature reserve.

Researchers at the administration center of Mengjin county of the Yellow River national nature reserve saw more than 80 yellow-breasted buntings in a rice field during a monitoring session.

The once-abundant species was classified as least concerned (LC) according to IUCN Red List criteria prior to 2004. However, it was uplisted to critically endangered in 2017 because of overhunting.

Thanks to the intensified wildlife conservation efforts and improvement of ecosystem in recent years, the number of wild birds has surged in the region. Steppe eagles, flamingos and mute swans have been spotted for the first time in the wetland.