Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang province has received national recognition for its efforts to protect Chinese crested terns, according to a circular released at the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands. 

The conference started on Nov 5 and ended on Nov 13. 

Authorities in Zhoushan's Wuzhishan Island Nature Reserve have since 2015 been implementing a special program to help the birds breed. 

Fifty-eight adult Chinese crested terns have been observed on the island this year, and the birds have succeeded in breeding young Chinese crested terns on two nearby islands. 

Since 2017, about 170 Chinese crested terns have been observed and 70 birds were born on the island. 

The reserve will introduce UAV patrols to improve its protection of the birds, according to authorities.

The Chinese crested tern is the rarest bird in China, and is listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The bird was considered extinct after its first discovery in 1861, but four adult birds and four young birds were discovered on the Mazu Islands off the coast of Fujian Province in 2000.

The birds feed on small fish in the upper layer of the ocean and are the flagship species of the marine ecosystem.