Rare birds from Siberian wastelands, Northeast China's swamps and Inner Mongolian pastures found their warm home in winter at the west bayon areas of the Boyang Lake, China's largest fresh-water lake.

Every year from November to next March, 11 kinds of first-class state-protected birds and 44 kinds of second-class state-protected birds fly to Boyang Lake Reserve, which covers an ice-free area of 22,400 hectares with clear water, green grass and abundant fish and shrimps.

This year about 50,000 rare birds nestled in the reserve, listed as one of world's key wetlands by the UN Educational, Scientific and Health Organization.

These birds include those under state first-class protection, like white crane, white stork and white-headed crane, and those under state second-class protection, like swan, white wild goose and white aigret.

At the prime period, about 3,000 white cranes fly there, accounting for 95 percent of the world's total, according to the expert.

Since being founded in 1983, the reserve has been an key ecological conservation zone. It was rated as one of China's five prime examples of reserves by the Global Environment Fund in 1992. Thousands of visitors and experts visit the reserve each year for sight-seeing and scientific research.

(Xinhua 11/23/2000)