Oriental storks on wetland in east China

Flocks of oriental storks, a migratory bird species under the country’s first-class protection, have packed the sky over the Lianyungang coastal wetland, east China’s Jiangsu Province. Over a hundred oriental storks have been seen foraging, chasing and resting on the wetland in recent days before returning to northern China in the spring.

The Lianyungang coastal wetland is an important stopover site along the East Asia-Australasia Flyway, one of the world’s great flyways for migratory birds. The flyway witnesses large-scale bird migrations occurring between November and March of the following year.