A flock of rare whooper swans has been spotted in the winter for the first time in a century in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, a local animal protection watchdog said Wednesday.
The birds are on the region’s endangered species list, the local branch of the Gosokhotnadzor animal protection committee said in a statement. Whooper swans are known for their loud calls, which can be heard from several kilometers away.
“The last time the whooper species was seen in our environs in winter was at the beginning of the 20th century, or about 100 years ago,” Gosokhotnadzor cited a local birdwatcher as saying in a social media post.
Seven other Russian regions have placed whooper swans on their endangered species lists, Nizhny Novgorod’s animal protection watchdog said.
“At present, the life and health of the birds is not under threat,” it said.
