A video showing a nearly one-meter-tall large bird leisurely crossing a road in Hunchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province, has gone viral on social media recently, sparking widespread discussions among netizens over the authenticity of the video. The Global Times confirmed with local wildlife protection authorities on Monday that the bird was indeed a vulture, known locally in Northeast China as "zuoshandiao."

The footage, which trended on video platform Douyin, shows a massive black bird calmly crossing the road, with its wings folded. Vehicles in both lanes came to a halt, waiting for the bird to pass. Due to its striking size, some netizens speculated whether the bird was a person in costume or even AI-generated.

The video was filmed by a woman surnamed Li on March 21 along 302 national highway near Jiushaping village in Jingxin township. Li said she spotted the bird while driving and was surprised by its size, estimating it stood close to one meter tall when upright. She noted that the bird appeared unafraid of humans and wandered casually on the road, while passing vehicles stopped and some bystanders took photos. The bird remained on the road for only dozens of seconds before moving on, according to local media report.

Li told Jimu News, a new media affiliated with Hubei Daily that Jingxin township, located near the Jingxin Wetland, sees large numbers of migratory birds during spring and autumn each year. Although locals are accustomed to seeing various bird species, she said it was her first time observing such a large vulture so closely.

Lin Wei, a member of the Hunchun wildlife protection association, affiliated with local government, told the Global Times on Monday that the bird in the video is actually a vulture.

As a nationally protected species, vultures can reach body lengths of up to 120 centimeters and a wingspan of about two meters. In early spring, thawing conditions may leave behind dead fish in the wetland to rot, attracting scavengers such as vultures. He advised the public to keep a safe distance and avoid disturbing the birds if encountered.

According to Lin, Jingxin Wetland serves as a key stopover along a major migratory route in Northeast Asia, where hundreds of thousands of birds gather each spring and autumn. Rare species such as the red-crowned crane, Oriental stork and Steller's sea eagle, all under top-level national protection, can often be spotted. The scene of "thousands of birds in flight" has become a name card for local ecology.

"Our bird protection teams patrol the area year-round, and residents are accustomed to yielding to wildlife. This has become a seasonal norm here," Lin said.

Hunchun boasts a forest coverage rate of 86 percent, with air quality rated as excellent on more than 98 percent of days annually, providing a favorable habitat for diverse wildlife.

Public information shows that Jingxin Wetland covers a contiguous area of about 5,874 hectares. It is one of Jilin Province's key protected wetlands and serves as an important habitat and migratory stopover for birds traveling to and from Siberia.