Thousands of villagers in Guizhou province in China have swarmed searching for what they assumed was a mysterious creature after loud noises have been heard coming from the mountains that sounded like a growling of a dragon.
Recently, trending footage of locals crowding to the top of a mountain located at Xiushui of Guizhou, the southwestern province of China, emerged while the booming noises made by the mystical beast can be heard.
Local authorities have secured placing roadblocks to prevent people from gathering while a team of experts was sent to investigate the source of the strange sound.
On June 20, after several farmers claimed to hear some strange noises, Xiushui villagers raced towards the mountain hills Daily Express reported.
The filmed footage taken by onlookers revealed the gathering of local residents in the spot while intently attending to the low-pitched sound.
Some villagers were heard yelling excitedly that they can hear the creature growling.
The videos received huge attention on different Chinese social media platforms after some people made claims that the strange sound was coming from a dragon while others disagreed saying that it was a tiger's roar.
Some Twitter users commented that the noise could possibly have been produced by fault lines beneath the village, which caused fears that an earthquake could be expected. While some uttered that it could be produced by a wild animal since similar noises have been heard in other areas.
After the videos went viral, the officials of Guizhui province sent a team of experts to go through the area and investigate the origin of the strange noise.
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"Dragon" turned out to be a small bird
According to Daily Mail, Zoologists later disclosed that the sound was being produced by a small type of bird that is known as the yellow-legged buttonquail.
Throughout the breeding season, the female birds frequently repeat booming hoots that can be heard at most 100 meters or 328 feet from their spot. During courtship, the females offer food to males and leave their eggs to the males for incubation. After 12 days, the eggs hatch and the chicks follow the male after hatching.
The conclusion of the experts was verified by several villagers who had seen the animals making the noise.
Liu Fuqiong, a teacher in a local primary school, articulated that they have heard the humming twice or three times continually after six or seven minutes. The teacher said the humming that they could be heard from their spot was very deep, adding that he even thought the sound was quite strange.
A number of villagers came after the sound to the cornfield and later discovered a yellow bird having a very short tail.
Ran Jingcheng, provincial wildlife protection center director, said in an interview that similar strange sounds have been heard before by several residents located in other areas. And added the residents did not think too much of what they have witnessed before.
At least four local residents have been detained, said by the authorities, for spreading rumors online and claiming that the sound was being produced by a humming dragon.
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