By Peng Junjun

On 3rd August, the ‘bird of legend’ - Chinese crested tern was once again spotted at Tongzhou Bay. Observations were recorded on 25th, 26th, 28th, and 29th July. The maximum record for a single day was 3 adult birds and 2 young birds. Since 2020, Chinese crested tern has ‘checked-in’ at Nantong for 5 consecutive years. Nantong is also the only known recorded site for the Chinese Crested Tern in Jiangsu Province.

Chinese crested tern, with a global population of just over 200, is known as the ‘bird of legend’ due to its extreme rarity. The coastal wetlands of our city have ample food resources, relatively less human interference, and an improved ecological environment. It is an important migration stopover of the ‘bird of legend’.