On June 7, in the scenic area of Suojiang Tower located on the shore of the Yangtze River in Jiujiang, a group of beautiful big birds with gorgeous feathers and flowing bodies leisurely foraged on the green grass, closed their eyes in the bushes, danced among the treetops, or strolled under the ancient towers, making "cooing" cheers from time to time. These beautiful big birds are the national second-class key protected wild animal egrets, which are known as "fairies in the forest".
With a history of more than 430 years, Suojianglou Ancient Tower is one of the landmark ancient buildings in Jiujiang City. Suojiang Tower Scenic Area is one of the core construction points of the Yangtze River National Cultural Park (Jiujiang Section). In March this year, when Jiujiang Cultural Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd. was upgrading the scenic area of Suojiang Lou, it found that there were some unknown beautiful big birds in the scenic area. The construction personnel attached great importance to it and immediately reported to the forestry department. Experts have identified these beautiful big birds as national second-class key protected wild animals.
"White is male, gray is female, and at its peak we have three white and seven to ten gray here." Shao Qigan, a staff member of the Suojianglou Tower Scenic Area, told reporters that every morning at about six o'clock, the white egret will stroll in the courtyard of Suojianglou, and you can follow it behind, it will not fly, and it will rest on the branches at night.
According to reports, the egret is a resident bird of the genus Pheasantaceae, which is dioecious. The male has white upperparts with black stripes, black underparts, a long black crown on the top of the head, and a white and long tail; Females are small, predominantly olive-brown, with fine stripes of white or yellow underparts; The iris is brown, with red bare skin around the eyes, a yellow beak, and bright red feet. Jin Zhanghua's "Bird Sutra" contains: "The color is pure white, and the line is leisurely and elegant, so the name is the white egret." The "fairy in the forest" actually settled in the downtown area of Jiujiang, and the construction staff was very surprised, immediately took the initiative to stop work, and suggested to the Jiujiang Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government to modify and optimize the scenic area upgrading and transformation plan to create a better habitat environment for the white egret.
"We have adjusted the entire landscape greening plan and lighting plan, retained the shrubs in the previous habitat of the egret, adjusted the landscape lighting scheme that affects the habitat of the egret, and replanted some green plants and shrubs, such as golden coral, bright privet and other shade-tolerant green plants, increased the greening investment, and the cost increased by 500,000 yuan, but we feel that it is worth the money to protect the habitat of the egret." Jiujiang Cultural Tourism Group Xunyang Lou Scenic Area Upgrading and Renovation Project technician Zhan Mingxian said.