Hongyuan Grassland, or Red Prairie, is located in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Sichuan Province. With an altitude of 3,535 meters above sea level, the Hongyuan Grassland is a place where most migratory birds pass through during their migration.

In a recent move, around 300 ruddy shelduck (tadorna ferruginea) have gathered on the grassland, after migrating from the neighboring Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the Sichuan Basin. Ruddy shelduck is a terrestrial wild animal with important ecological, scientific and social values. It has higher requirements for the living environment. In 2012, it was included in the IUCN Red list of Endangered Species.

There is an old saying among the local Tibetan people: "Flocks of birds fly with eagles, and ground-frozen birds return to the south." Due to the lack of natural protection awareness from local residents, the number of ruddy shelducks was once reduced dramatically.

As the local ecological system has improved in recent years, more and more migratory birds have flocked to the place again, best known for its unique natural landscape and abundant natural resources, to breed and thrive.

According to statistics from past years, there will be thousands of the unique waterfowl that will join the shelduck and breed near the Gaqu River by the end of March. Then, in late October, they will fly back to their original habitat.

With strengthened efforts for wildlife protection, the number and types of birds migrating to the region have multiplied, enriching local biodiversity.

(Cover via VCG.)

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