Over 700,000 migratory birds gather in Poyang Lake to overwinter

Migratory birds are seen at Poyang Lake in east China's Jiangxi Province. (People's Daily Online/Shi Yu)

The 2nd Poyang Lake International Birdwatching Week opened recently in Yongxiu county, east China's Jiangxi Province. Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, has now become the largest wintering ground for migratory birds in Asia.

Every autumn and winter, migratory birds such as white cranes, oriental white storks, white-naped cranes and swan goose flock to Poyang Lake from Siberia, Mongolia, and northeast China, with the total number reaching between 600,000 to 700,000 in all.

As of Nov. 28, more than 637,000 wintering migratory birds had arrived in Poyang Lake. Among them, seven of the species have been placed under national first-class protection. Poyang Lake is expected to have more than 700,000 wintering birds during the Birdwatching Week.