A dozen spoonbills, one of the most endangered bird species in the world, have been spotted in Tongjiang City, in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

According to local sources, the black-faced birds were sighted in the Bacha Isle Nature Reserve of Tongjiang in mid-September of this year.

There are reportedly only 800 spoonbills living in the world.

Experts explained that the well-preserved ecosystem at Tongjiang, which is situated deep in the plain formed by the Songhua, Heilongjiang and Wusuli rivers, including its well-preserved wetlands, has provided the black-faced spoonbill with an ideal environment.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2002)