Critically endangered terns spotted in east China

A type of critically endangered tern has been spotted in east China's Fujian Province.

The Chinese crested terns were found on a sandbank in a wetland along the estuary of the Minjiang River, according to local bird watchers. The playful birds were seen hunting food there.

The terns were first discovered in China. A typical tern has a black beak and white feathers.

The wetland is a major concentration area for migratory birds, including rare species. It is home to 1,084 types of animals and plants, and more than 50,000 water birds make stop-overs there during their migration.

"The Chinese crested terns were discovered in 1861, and had not been seen for more than a century," said local bird watcher Wang Naizhu. "They appeared in the wetland in 2004."

Fewer than 100 such terns exist in the world, but locals once observed 16 of them in the wetland, said bird observer Ban Ma.