Migratory birds flock to national reserve (1/8)

A flock of migratory birds swim in the lake of Hongjiannao National Nature Reserve in Shenmu, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Jiangang)

Sandwiched between the Muus Desert in Shaanxi Province and the Erdos Plateau in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hongjiannao Lake is the largest desert freshwater lake in China and the world's largest breeding habitat for gulls. It is home to over 8,000 relic gulls - 90 percent of the endangered species' world population.

A flock of migratory birds swim in the lake of Hongjiannao National Nature Reserve in Shenmu, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Jiangang)

A flock of migratory birds fly over the lake of Hongjiannao National Nature Reserve in Shenmu, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Jiangang)

A flock of migratory birds fly over the lake of Hongjiannao National Nature Reserve in Shenmu, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Jiangang)

A flock of migratory birds fly over the lake of Hongjiannao National Nature Reserve in Shenmu, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Jiangang)

A flock of migratory birds swim in the lake of Hongjiannao National Nature Reserve in Shenmu, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Jiangang)

A flock of migratory birds swim in the lake of Hongjiannao National Nature Reserve in Shenmu, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Jiangang)

A flock of migratory birds fly over the lake of Hongjiannao National Nature Reserve in Shenmu, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Jiangang)