Crested ibises enjoy the first snowfall of 2020 in Tongchuan, NW China’s Shaanxi Province, on January 7.

Crested ibis was once thought to be extinct in the wild before seven crested ibises were found in the province in 1981.

Thanks to Chinese conservation efforts, including artificial hatching, habitat protection, and programs to release the birds into the wild, their number is now estimated to surpass more than 3,000 globally, with about 2,600 in China.

Crested ibises enjoy the first snowfall of 2020 in Tongchuan, NW China’s Shaanxi Province. (Photos: people.com.cn; Compiled by Huang Jingjing)