Xiamen City on the southeast coast of Fujian Province in southeast China is known as the "island of egrets."

Because of the mild, subtropical climate, the birds thrive in Xiamen, hence the name. 

Of the 22 species of egrets, 17 can be found in Xiamen, including the great egret, little egret, cattle egret and Chinese egret which is listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Experts indicate that the egrets like to inhabit fields, wetlands, lakes and mudflats where they can find enough food. As Xiamen is rich in these landforms with good environmental protection, egrets abound.

(Cover image via VCG, designed by CGTN's Liu Shaozhen and Li Yueyun)

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