New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS): The US-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) on Tuesday released a video of three endangered white-winged ducklings, taking their maiden flight in Cambodia.

They were born to a bird that was rescued in the wild owing to injuries two years back and rehabilitated by the conservationists.

The video titled "One Giant Leap" portrays the ducklings leaving their Koki tree-hollow home for the first time while their mother patiently waits for them to follow.

The white-winged duck (Asarcornis scutulata) is categorised on the International Union for Conservation's (IUCN) Red List as endangered.

The global population of this species is declining due to habitat loss, disturbance along key stretches of riverine habitat and illegal poaching, and is estimated to be between 250 and 1,000 individuals.

Very less is currently known about the birds' numbers in Cambodia, the WCS said.

Last month, it announced for the first time in five years that a nest of the white-winged duck was discovered. The nest is that shown in the video.

The WCS is currently undergoing a programme in conjunction with the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia in which the locals are compensated to protect and monitor the endangered birds instead of harvesting them.

The mother duck in the video was found injured in the wild, picked up by the people from Prey Veng village in mid-2015.

According to the WCS, the bird was shifted to Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity for rehabilitation. It was later tagged and released back to the wild in December 2015.