Endangered great bustards make spring journey back to nature reserve in N China's Inner Mongolia

A national nature reserve in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has recently witnessed the peak season for the return of endangered great bustards and other migratory birds, which have made the long journey back to the nature reserve in recent days.

With multiple wetlands, the Tumuji National Nature Reserve in Jalaid Banner, Hinggan League, Inner Mongolia is a key natural habitat of the great bustards, a species under first-class state protection in the country, and an important stopover for migrant birds in Northeast Asia.

"So far, more than 60 pairs of great bustards have been found nesting and reproducing at the nature reserve. There are over 260 great bustards at the nature reserve permanently and more than 300 in the spring and autumn," said Zhou Jingying, director of the research department at the nature reserve.

Zhou added that the nature reserve is known as China's homeland for great bustards because so many of the endangered species of bird have been spotted there.

Female great bustards fly southward to provinces such as Henan, Hebei and Shandong along with their young every autumn to overwinter while the adult males will stay behind at the nature reserve in the winter season.

The birds begin to return to the nature reserve every April, explained Zhai Tiemin, a photographer who has taken photographs of the species for nearly eight years in the nature reserve.

A great bustard flies over the Tumuji National Nature Reserve in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Photo/szb.northnews.cn)