Ningbo sees hope for endangered seabirds

Rare Chinese crested terns are sighted at Jiushan Archipelago in Xiangshan county, Ningbo. [Photo by Ding Peng for Tide News]

On a quiet evening off the coast of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, rare seabirds known as Chinese crested terns were spotted performing their signature courtship dance — signaling hope for one of the world's most endangered bird species.

At the Jiushan Archipelago National Nature Reserve in Xiangshan county, volunteers stationed on Jiushan Archipelago let out a cry of excitement on June 3 as two terns appeared on a monitoring screen. The male, adorned with a distinctive black crest, spread his wings and began circling a female in an elegant display, captured in real-time by high-resolution cameras aimed at the nearby Zhongtiedun Islet.

Wei Yuning, a volunteer who has been stationed on the island for over a month, described the moment as "like watching a Latin dance under the evening sky". Alongside her are fellow volunteers Zhang Lijun and Wang Yuqi, both selected from a pool of 6,000 applicants for their birding expertise and academic credentials.

The Chinese crested tern population is estimated at only around 200 globally. Since 2013, conservation teams in Ningbo have been working to attract and protect this critically endangered species. Their efforts have turned the archipelago into the largest breeding site of the birds, with over 200 chicks successfully hatched to date.

This spring, the team recorded a peak of 40 terns settling on Zhongtiedun.

"So far, we've seen 24 pairs form, and 18 nests are actively incubating eggs," said Zhang. The breeding grounds are shared with over a thousand greater crested terns, creating a lively, competitive nesting environment.

"To minimize disturbance, we avoid setting foot on the islet early in the breeding season," said Ding Peng, deputy director of the reserve's management center. Instead, all monitoring is conducted remotely from a nearby island.