Hunchun Jixing Wetland's 'Heth Heth' (White-Necked Cranes) Are Famous!
On March 14th, photography enthusiasts in Hunchun captured a flock of white-necked cranes in Jingxing Wetland. The cranes leisurely fed, chased, danced, and soared in the wetland. According to the Wild Resource Protection Station of Hunchun Northeast Tiger National Nature Reserve, these birds numbered over ten thousand, and the white-necked crane is one of them.
Jingxing Wetland is located in the key state-owned forest area under the administration of the Changbaishan Forestry Division. It is where the China-Japan and China-Mongolia migratory routes converge. During the spring and autumn migrations, tens of thousands of migratory birds stop to feed and replenish their energy here.
The white-necked crane (scientific name: *Grus vipio*) is similar in shape to the red-crowned crane but smaller, while being larger than the white stork. Its upper body is slate grey, with dark grey tail feathers with broad black markings at the end. It mainly uses its beak to peck at food or to probe the surface soil with its beak before pecking at the seeds and roots buried beneath, while walking and pecking.
It arrives gradually starting from late March and continues until the end of April to breed. In autumn, it starts to leave the breeding grounds for wintering grounds starting in mid-September and continues until mid-November to early December. During migration, it forms family groups or small groups composed of several family groups. Hunchun Jingxing Wetland is their station along the way.
Jilin Daily Media Editor: Shi Tianhui
