Hundreds of brown-colored "wild birds", which were discovered in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, have been confirmed as an endangered species ( crossoptilon mantchuricum), according to some international experts.

These rare birds only live in China and head the national protection list. The adult bird weighs some five kg with a body length of one-meter and a tail resembling a tail of a horse. The birds were discovered in Shanxi Province but only in small numbers.

Since 1992, more and more of these birds have appeared in the city of Hancheng in central Shaanxi, the neighboring province of Shanxi. Locals took them for some kind of wild bird.

Last October, ornithologists from New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and China conducted a joint survey and confirmed the birds' identity.

According to a woodman, since September this year, groups of crossoptilon mantchuricums have been flying around in the 20,000- ha-forest with an estimated number of approximately 1,000.

After verifying the identity of the bird, the Shaanxi Provincial Forestry Department applied to the central government to build a natural reserve for these birds and to conduct further researches, said Zhao Jianzhong, section manager of the local forestry office.