Dalmatian pelicans float on the Qiantang River in Haining, a county-level city in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. [Photo/jiaxingren.com]

Haining, a county-level city in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, has been conducting a key species biodiversity survey since 2020, inviting experts from the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment to investigate its rich wildlife.

More than 30 experts have traversed all of Haining, finding more than 170 species of bird, including some rare ones.

One of the highlights of the survey is the discovery of seven dalmatian pelicans, a national first-class protected species, on the Qiantang River.

These large waterfowl can easily swallow big fish but need a lot of food to survive. The experts said that the pelicans' presence shows that the river's water quality is excellent and fish are plentiful.

Another rare bird discovered by the experts is the horned grebe, a national second-class protected species, in Xiaoxihu Lake at the foot of Jianshan Mountain. This small, elegant bird in the sandpiper family is also a winter visitor to Haining.

The experts also visited Changshuitang Water Source Ecological Wetland, a water source conservation area in Haining, where they observed a variety of birds such as red-billed gulls, egrets, herons, and wild ducks.

The bird survey team has been coming to Haining every season for nearly three years, witnessing the improvement of its natural environment.

The bird survey team revealed that excluding this winter survey, 173 species of birds have been found in Haining, including two national first-class protected species, 27 national second-class protected species, and 21 key protected terrestrial species in Zhejiang province.