The romantic courtship ritual of a pied avocet couple was caught on camera in a wetland in east China's Jiangsu Province. During the courting process, which lasted for about five minutes before the mating, the male circled around the female while scything his bill from side to side in the water. The female lowered her head and raised her tail to gesture her consent.

Bird lover Chen Jinrong has been observing the flying creatures in the wild since her retirement in 2019. To her, birdwatching offers an opportunity to be close to nature and birds are an indicator of the local environment.

(Cover image by Niu Yingsheng, video by Chen Jinrong)

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