Birds from Siberia find winter refuge in Hunan

Migratory birds have come in greater numbers than previous year to the Dongting Lake natural reserve in Hunan province. The birds came from Siberia.

A flock of little swans was spotted on the west side of the lake in Hanshou county. Other birds have also been spotted, including white egrets, gray geese and black storks.

Dongting Lake is the second-largest freshwater lake in China.

Liu Peng, a wild animal and plant protection engineer at the reserve, said the number of little swans coming to the reserve has increased over the years. Last year, 593 were spotted. This year, the number increased to 724, he said.