This photo taken on March 1, 2024 shows migratory birds at Nandagang Wetland in Cangzhou City, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua)

Nearly 300 oriental white storks, an endangered bird species, have been spotted in Nandagang Wetland, a World Natural Heritage site in north China's Hebei Province, said local authorities on Friday.

The oriental white stork, under top protection level in China, is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Nandagang Wetland in Cangzhou City is an important stopover and breeding site along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Over recent years, a natural wetland ecosystem consisting of water bodies, shallows and habitat islands has been gradually restored.

Due to improved ecological conditions, more than 100,000 migratory birds were monitored in the wetland in 2023, compared to 20,000 in 2019.

October to December each year is the season for migratory birds to migrate to the wetland. The oriental white stork has extremely demanding requirements for its living environment. They can only find ideal habitats in wetlands that are rich in food and abundant in water sources, and have a good ecological environment, according to experts.

During the freezing winter last year, the storks used their long beaks to peck through the relatively fragile ice around the roots of reeds, catching fish that were hiding underwater.

This vivid example demonstrates how this wetland provides a rich source of food and a suitable living environment for the storks in different seasons, said Feng Guoqiang, a patrol officer at the second protection station of the Nandagang Wetland and Bird Nature Reserve Management Office.

The reserve will continue to strengthen daily patrols and monitoring work with the help of AI technologies to ensure a comfortable habitat for migratory birds, said Feng.