Thousands of birds have migrated to a wetland reserve near the estuary of China's longest river, the Yangtse, for winter.
Situated in Qidong City of east China's Jiangsu Province, the Xinglong Wild Animal Nature Reserve, the largest wetland reserve in China, covers a land area of 2,000 hectares.
After a long exhausting flight from the north, newly migrated birds either paddle for food there or perch among the lush reeds.
Because of the oceanographic climate, the reserve has higher temperatures in winter than surrounding areas and a variety of organisms, such as clams and beach louses, help to make it an ideal habitat for migrant birds, according to experts.
A recent field investigation revealed that over 50 red-crowned cranes, about 5 percent of the world's total, and 32 hooded cranes, about one sixth of the country's total, have inhabited the reserve.
Another 255 species of birds also live there, representing 56 percent of the province's total.
(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2001)
