A spoon-billed sandpiper in Zhanjiang. [Photo/Nanfang Plus]

Over 300,000 migratory birds were recorded across Guangdong province during the 2025 autumn and winter migration season, a testament to the province's ecological health. The influx included numerous rare and endangered species, leading to new observation records in multiple locations and highlighting the success of regional conservation efforts.

Monitoring data reveals a thriving hub of biodiversity. The coastal wetlands of the Leizhou Peninsula served as a critical stopover, with the Zhanjiang Birdwatching Association documenting five relict gulls—a first for mainland China's southernmost point. Simultaneously, rare spoon-billed sandpipers were spotted in Wu-chuan, underscoring the area's international importance.

Further significant discoveries were made offshore, where researchers recorded the masked booby in Guangdong's waters for the first time, expanding the known range of this protected seabird. The vital mangrove ecosystems of the Pearl River Estuary, such as Nansha Wetland, hosted over 100,000 wintering birds. This season, the wetland welcomed its first recorded glossy Ibis, bringing the total number of top-level protected bird species in the wetland to five.

Eastern Guangdong also celebrated several historic sightings. In Meizhou, photographers captured clear images of the globally endangered Oriental stork, while the population of black-faced spoonbills at Shanwei's Haifeng Wetlands reached a record high of 451 individuals—a more than sixteen-fold increase since 2004.

With 412 migratory species among its 584 documented wild birds, Guangdong's thriving avian populations are a powerful testament to the success of its "Beautiful Guangdong" ecological initiatives, providing a shining example of harmony between humans and nature.