More than 320 black-necked cranes arrive at Napa Lake in SW China's Yunnan for winter

(ECNS) -- The number of black-necked cranes at the Napa Lake Nature Reserve in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, has surpassed 320, according to the reserve's management bureau.

The figure indicates that this year's black-necked crane migration is more than halfway complete and signals the start of the peak wintering season for migratory birds at the high-altitude wetland.

Located in Shangri-La, Napa Lake lies at an average elevation of 3,260 meters and is a typical seasonal marsh in Yunnan. Black-necked cranes, a species under first-class national protection in China, migrate there each autumn from their breeding grounds in Qinghai and Sichuan provinces to spend the winter before returning north the following spring.

Other migratory species, including black storks, common cranes, bar-headed geese and great cormorants, have also been arriving at the wetland in large numbers.

Thanks to sustained ecological conservation and restoration efforts, the number of migratory birds at Napa Lake during the peak wintering season has exceeded 50,000, earning it a reputation as a haven for migratory birds.

(By Zhang Dongfang)