By Peng Junjun

After a year, ‘bird of legend’ —— Chinese crested tern arrived at Nantong as usual. On 10 August, in Donglingguan wetland in Rudong, ‘spoon-billed sandpiper in China’ observer saw 2 Chinese crested terns. It was the first record this year in Jiangsu. In the following few day, its friends arrived at Nantong one after another. Up to 17 August, there had been 4 to 6 Chinese crested terns near Dongling, Rudong. Among them, ring label ‘ZAI’ was reported for return for the first time in the world.

Chinese crested tern has slender body, white feathers, forked tail, black crest, yellow beak with black color at the end, very recognizable among birds. As it is very rare and its mysterious track, Chinese crested tern is called ‘bird of legend’. In a long time, their number is evaluated as smaller than 50. It is listed in critically endangered species by International Union for Conservation of Nature.