Lumbini, Dec. 9 -- Nepal has recorded the first confirmed breeding of the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis), locally called Kalikantha Saras, in the high-altitude Limi valley of Humla district.

The black-necked crane is a globally rare and near-threatened bird species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The milestone observation was made along the Sakya stream plain in Namkha Rural Municipality, Humla, where a pair was seen tending a chick.

"Seeing a chick with its parents is definitive proof of breeding and marks the country's first such record. This is a moment of great significance for Nepal's bird conservation," said senior ornithologist Hem Sagar Baral.

The discovery was made recently by a fi...