The Wuzhishan Archipelago, which is seven kilometers away from Zhoushan Island, is the only natural reserve in Zhejiang to protect birds and their habitat. [Photo/WeChat account: zsqdly]

The Wuzhishan Archipelago, which is seven kilometers away from Zhoushan Island, is the only natural reserve in Zhejiang to protect birds and their habitat. It boasts a warm and humid climate.

Less impacted by human beings, the Wuzhishan Archipelago is abundant in fish, shrimp, shellfish, plankton, and algae, which are capable of feeding a large amount of birds.

The 20.1-hectare Wuzhishan Archipelago consists of seven islands, with a total coastline of 5.4 kilometers, of which the Longshandong, Mantoushan, and Yaqueshan islands are inhabited by tens of thousands of waterfowl per year.

July and August is the busiest time on the Wuzhishan Archipelago as numerous birds fly over the sky, wander about sandbeaches, forage for food, or just take a rest on a rock or in a bush.

"Birds have a good memory," said Wang Zhongde, keeper of the Wuzhishan Archieplago. "Once disturbed by human beings, they will dare not hatch eggs and as a result, they will never come back here again."

Currently, visitors are not allowed on the islands in an effort to protect the birds.

Thalasseus bernsteini, or Chinese crested tern, is a medium-sized water bird with a black forehead, black crown, black feather tips, black feet, a white body, and a yellow beak. There are only less than 50 thalasseus bernsteini in the world. [Photo/WeChat account: zsqdly]

Yellow-billed egret is precious waterfowl, with a white body, as well as a slender beak, neck, and legs. [Photo/WeChat account: zsqdly]

Thalasseus bergii, or great crested tern, boasts a black crown in the summer and a white crown in the winter, with a white upper body and a grey lower body. [Photo/WeChat account: zsqdly]