SPOONBILL FLOCK SPOTTED IN INCHEON

[Anchor Lead]

A flock of spoonbills, an endangered species with a global population of just five thousand, has been spotted in downtown Incheon. Ecologists and environmental activists are trying to protect the birds' habitat. The spoonbills have also drawn the public spotlight.

[Pkg]

White birds have built a nest on an island in the middle of a reservoir. They are spoonbills, a Class 1 endangered wild species. The mother with a black beak and yellow neck is sharing food with her young. Children observe the wild birds at a nearby eco-learning center.

[Soundbite] (Member of Spoonbill Network) : "Young spoonbills have orange or pink beaks. (Young birds don't have yellow necks.)"

Over 13 years, the population of just eight pairs that first bred in 2009 has grown to more than 200 pairs. Bird experts from Korea and abroad are trying to protect the birds' habitat. They have attached leg rings to about a dozen young spoonbills and GPS devices to three others.

[Soundbite] Hwang Jong-kyung(Species Restoration Center) : "We attached GPS devices to track the spoonbills' key habitats and the radius of their activities."

With the designation of the nearby Songdo flat tide as a RAMSAR wetland, this urban reservoir is now home to wild endangered birds.

[Soundbite] Lee Ki-seok (Waterbird Network) : "To protect the birds, we must know more about them. Once you learn about spoonbills, you care more about them and can help them live well."

Public interest in spoonbills is also growing. Their name is now included in the name of a subway station and are also registered as Incheon's flagship specis.