Napahai Nature Reserve is situated 8 km (5 mi) north of Zhongdian County, in northwestern Yunnan,  with grasslands and lakes which attract many bird species that winter here, including the endangered Black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis). Black-necked cranes, of which only 6,000 remain in the world, usually breed in high-altitude wetlands but spend the winter at lower altitudes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau or on the Yunnan-Guizou Plateau, of which, Napahai is the main wintering spot. The breeding population of these exquisite birds, however, is in rapid decline due to habitat loss and changing agricultural practices which have affected the availability of food. |
