Family of endangered ducks spotted in Jilin

陈小将

A Chinese merganser, an endangered waterfowl under State protection, and its babies were recently spotted in a wetland area in Manjiang township of Fusong county, Jilin province.

The mother led her babies to the river and taught them how to swim and fish. They frolicked and hunted in the water, providing an unusual summer spectacle.

Chinese mergansers have been listed as a national first-level protected animal, and have been dubbed "living fossils".

The birds require a clean aquatic environment and generally choose to live near unpolluted bodies of water and in nature reserves.

As the ecological environment improves every year, more Chinese mergansers have been coming to Changbai Mountain region every spring.