The Chinese mergansers in Jiangjin District, Chongqing (courtesy of Xinhuanet)

By Keqiao Cheng, EDITOR

Since the beginning of this winter, the riverside of the Qihe River in Jiangjin District has once again become a harbor of Chinese Mergansers known for its preciousness as “giant pandas of birds”.

A Chinese merganser flying over the water (courtesy of Xinhuanet)

The Chinese merganser, a bird species under the first-level state protection, is on the list of the “IUCN Red List of Threatened Species” and the list of threatened species of International Council for Bird Preservation (now renamed BirdLife International).

A couple of Chinese mergansers (courtesy of Xinhuanet)

At present, there are only more than 1,000 Chinese mergansers in China. They live mainly in such provinces as Anhui, Shandong, Liaoning and Jilin. Since 2012, they have been spending winter in the Qihe River in Jiangjin District, Chongqing for seven consecutive years.

Two Chinese mergansers resting on a rock in the water (courtesy of Xinhuanet)

Source: Xinhuanet