Rare spoon-billed sandpipers have returned to the Danzhou Bay Wetland in Danzhou City, south China's Hainan Province, for the eighth consecutive year to overwinter.
The spoon-billed sandpiper is a critically endangered species under first-class national protection in China. About the size of an adult's fist, the bird is known for its distinctive spatula-shaped bill.
A local bird protection team recently spotted and filmed the endangered birds foraging on the tidal flats during routine monitoring.
In recent years, wetland protection efforts in the tropical island province of Hainan have helped boost local biodiversity and provide a safer wintering habitat for migratory birds.
Rare spoon-billed sandpipers return to Hainan wetland for 8th straight winter
