The critically endangered oriental white stork, a first-class protected wild animal in China, has been increasingly sighted across Hailing district, Taizhou, Jiangsu province, this year.
Local wildlife photographer Wang Xuehui captured sharp, intimate shots of the large, elegant birds soaring, perching, and foraging around Huagang and Suchen towns, with the closest recording taken from just 15 meters away — a rare feat for the highly skittish species, which usually requires a 60-meter minimum safety distance in the wild.
An oriental white stork soars gracefully over the green wetland with its wide black-and-white wings fully spread. [Photo by Wang Xuehui/WeChat account: weihailing0523]
An oriental white stork forages for prey in the shallow tidal flat. [Photo by Wang Xuehui/WeChat account: weihailing0523]
As a natural "ecosystem indicator" for wetlands, the oriental white stork has extremely strict requirements for water quality, vegetation cover and low human disturbance. The frequent visits and the birds' evident lack of wariness here serve as direct proof of Hailing's steadily improving ecological environment.
Over the past five years, Wang has documented 229 bird species in Taizhou, including the oriental white stork, which has gone from a rare vagrant to a regular welcome visitor.