Two pairs of Oriental White Storks have successfully nested and hatched six chicks at the Daihai National Nature Reserve in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region this spring, marking the first recorded instance of the endangered species breeding within the reserve.
Atop a steel tower in the reserve, an adult Oriental White Stork stands guard over three sleeping chicks. Nearby, on another tower, three fluffy nestlings crane their necks and jostle for food from their parent.
Staff explained that this is the first time the entire breeding and hatching process of Oriental White Storks has been fully recorded since the Daihai Nature Reserve began its observations. "On May 13, the first brood successfully hatched, producing three chicks of Oriental White Stork. Then, on May 20, another brood also successfully hatched, also producing three chicks. By then, the number of Oriental White Storks in our reserve had reached 10," said Chen Yu, director of the scientific research and publicity department of the Daihai Nature Reserve Service Center.
The Oriental White Stork is a globally endangered species with stringent habitat requirements, making it an important indicator species for wetland ecological quality.
As the third largest inland lake in Inner Mongolia, Daihai Lake has been continuously promoting integrated management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands, and deserts in recent years, implementing projects such as ecological water replenishment, returning farmland to wetlands, and lakeside restoration.
The successful breeding of Oriental White Storks this time indicates that the ecology, food resources, and environment of Daihai Lake wetlands have reached the conditions necessary for the stork's habitat and survival, according to staff.
"Next, we will continue to conduct daily monitoring, strengthen various protection measures, and do our utmost to safeguard the natural breeding of Oriental White Storks, making the Daihai Nature Reserve a home for more birds to thrive," said Chen.
Oriental white storks spotted breeding in Inner Mongolia Daihai reserve for first time
