"Wow! So many black storks! They're gorgeous!" With winter arriving, over 70 black storks, the so-called "giant pandas of birds",have flocked to the Mengjin Yellow River Wetland Reservein Luoyang city, Central China's Henan province, attracting bird enthusiasts from across China, including Beijing, Liaoning, Hubei and Hunan.
With the steady improvement of its ecology and biodiversity, the Mengjin Yellow River Wetland Reserve has been attracting an increasing number of visitors to observe birds and enjoy the natural scenery. So far, 331 bird species have been recorded here, including 73 that are under national protection. During the peak season, the number of birds in the reserve can exceed 150,000.
In January, a European velvet duck was spotted in the reserve, the first-ever sighting in Henan and only the fifth recorded in China. The bird stayed in the reserve for nearly two months, attracting numerous bird enthusiasts and photographers nationwide.
The growing number of bird enthusiasts across China is fueling the rise of the bird-watching economy. Besides bird watching, this growing interest has also spurred new cultural and tourism businesses, giving a strong boost to the local economy. According to incomplete statistics, since 2025, the "bird-watching economy" has generated over 1 million yuan in revenue for related industries in Mengjin. (Chinese source: dahe.cn Translator: Yang Jiaxin Proofreader: Zhang Junping and Zhao Hanqing)
