The management board of the Phu My Species and Habitat Conservation Area in Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam has once again spotted nine sarus cranes foraging near local rice fields, with four of them staying overnight.

On Saturday morning, Lam Hong Tuan, deputy director of the Phu My Species and Habitat Conservation Area management board in Giang Thanh District reported that around 9:30 am on Friday, staff observed nine sarus cranes feeding in a ripened rice field within the buffer zone of the conservation area.

Notably, four of these cranes remained overnight at the field’s edge, where they had been feeding.

According to estimates from the Phu My Species and Habitat Conservation Area, these sarus cranes weigh between seven and 10 kilograms and stand approximately 1.5 meters tall.

“The fact that four sarus cranes have chosen to roost overnight in the buffer zone of the Phu My Conservation Area is a welcome sight,” Tuan remarked.

“Cranes typically stay overnight in areas where they find abundant food and feel secure. We continue to educate local residents on the importance of preserving the natural ecosystem so that the cranes can return here to forage.”

Earlier, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported that 13 sarus cranes had arrived in the buffer zone of the Phu My Conservation Area to feed. These cranes were identified as seasonal migratory birds from Cambodia.

According to Tuan, in 2018, the conservation area recorded 29 sarus cranes roosting overnight in the core zone of the Phu My Conservation Area.

However, it has been a long time since any cranes stayed overnight -- until the early morning of March 15, when local residents discovered four of them sleeping in the area.

Covering approximately 2,700 hectares, the Phu My Species and Habitat Conservation Area consists of a 1,066-hectare core zone and a 1,644-hectare buffer zone.

As a seasonal wetland rich in organic matter, the conservation area provides an ideal habitat for rare and unique species, such as sarus cranes, to forage during their seasonal migrations.

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