Around 150 oriental white cranes were recently spotted resting and foraging at the Momoge National Nature Reserve in northeast China's Jilin Province. Some of them were seen scrambling for nests.

Oriental white cranes, with a population of around 3,000 now in the world, are under first-class state protection in China. The birds are mainly found in the Russian Far East and the northeastern region of China.

The Momoge wetland is an important migration belt for oriental white crnes. It is also an important stopover during their migration. They make brief stops at the wetland every spring and autumn, flying over the vast lakes covered with reeds and sometimes descending to search for food.

Oriental white cranes have been seen nesting on power transmission towers in the past two years. For safety concerns, some artificial nests with cement poles and iron baskets on the top have been built for the birds since 2016. The birds can nest in the baskets made of tree branches.

(Cover image a screenshot from the video)

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