Thirty-three oriental white storks were recently observed in the reed marshes of Maluan Bay in Xiamen, Fujian province.

They bathed in winter sunlight, standing, flying or arranging their feathers. The birds are first-class wildlife under State protection and are an endangered species. They mainly reproduce in Northeast China, Japan and North Korea during summer and migrate to East and South China in winter.

According to Chen Hao, deputy director of the Xiamen Bird-watching Association, this is the first time such a large number of oriental white storks have been observed in Xiamen in recent years.