Cotton Teals spotted in Beihai Wetland Provincial Nature Reserve

(Photo/People's Daily Online)

Three endangered cotton teals were recently spotted in the Beihai Wetland Provincial Nature Reserve in Tengchong, southwest China's Yunnan Province. The cotton teal is a second-level nationally protected wildlife species. One of the smallest teals in the duck family, they are about 30 centimeters in length, and weigh about 200 grams.

From a distance, they resemble a ball of cotton, hence the name "cotton teal". They tend to live in rivers, lakes, ponds, and marshes, and nest in tree holes, and mainly feed on seeds and vegetables, especially Nymphaeaceae, as well as insects and crustaceans.

The reserve is committed to the idea of "lucid waters and green mountains are invaluable", and has turned its focus to biodiversity protection. It has also turned farmland to wetlands while protecting and restoring existing wetlands. As a result, the wetland ecosystem has been safeguarded, with biodiversity growing and the environment improving.