A record-high 404,000 waterfowls of 74 varieties have been spotted in Dongting Lake, the country's second-largest freshwater lake, in central China's Hunan Province, according to local authorities.
Of the 74 varieties, 447 birds of five varieties are under the country's first-class protection and 25,000 birds of 12 varieties are under second-class protection, according to the provincial forestry department.
A total of 140 wild black storks were also spotted at a nature reserve in the province's Yueyang City, the largest black stork population reported in China.
