KUNMING -- A yellow-vented green pigeon, or Treron seimundi, was spotted for the first time in China in the Wuliangshan Nature Reserve in the southwestern province of Yunnan, according to local authorities.

The bird species is mainly found in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats include tropical and subtropical mountainous areas, primary forests, and evergreen forests with broad-leaved trees in hilly areas at altitudes of 400 to 800 meters.

It is marked by a decreasing population on the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

"The bird may have been found in China because it flew a long distance, or because the population as a whole moved north due to changes in climate or habitat, but further observation is needed," said Zhang Guogang, deputy head of the national bird banding center.

The bird received a health examination on Oct 10 and was later released that day after it was banded, said Shi Guocai, a senior engineer at the nature reserve.