Ruddy turnstones forage on a beach in Rudong county, Nantong. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

About 50 ruddy turnstones or Arenaria interpres, a type of small wading bird under second-level national protection, were last month spotted and photographed on the beach at Dongling Port in Rudong county – administered by Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province.

Nantong's environmental monitoring center reported on June 4 that the migratory birds are using the shores there to rest on their journeys and two of them were found with monitoring bands.

Bird-banding is a research method used to acquire accurate information about bird movements and their life spans.

The ruddy turnstone is a stocky shorebird – birds that live close to the water's edge – named for its habit of flipping over stones, shells and seaweed with a slightly upturned, wedge-shaped bill.

They usually have a length of 21-26 centimeters, a weight of 84-190 grams and a wingspan of 50-57 cm. They have reddish feathers on their back, featuring black and brown plumage on the head, interspersed with rufous surface areas overall.

The bird is currently rated as second-level national key protected wildlife in China, classified as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

Nantong, with its ecological and environmental quality having consistently improved, has witnessed an increasing number of bird species in recent years.

A total of 133 species of water birds have been recorded in Nantong's coastal wetlands since 2009, according to statistics. Of these, 53 species were plovers, including nine that are globally endangered.