Five oriental white storks rest in the Longgang Coastal Wetland in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo by Fang Minghe]
Five oriental white storks were recently sighted in the Longgang Coastal Wetland in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province and were photographed by birdwatchers.
The oriental white stork, also known as the "panda of the bird world", is a national first-class protected animal, with fewer than 5,000 specimens left in the world.
The oriental white stork is a globally-endangered large wading bird with a long and sturdy beak. It is a rare winter migratory bird that mainly inhabits open plain marshes, tundra marshes, and large lake shores and shallow water marshes, feeding on small fish, frogs and insects.
The birds migrate to East and South China in winter, concentrating at Poyang Lake in Jiangxi, Yangzhou in Jiangsu and other places. It rarely lands or overwinters in Zhejiang province.
The Longgang Coastal Wetland attracts a large number of wintering migratory birds every year. In recent years, Longgang has improved the health of the ecological wetland, providing a safe and reliable habitat for migratory birds.
Previously, rare birds such as the hooded crane and the red-breasted goose have also stayed in the Longgang Coastal Wetland.
