200 migratory birds stay in snowy N China

 TIANJIN, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- More than 200 rare migrating birds have taken up residence at a wetland in north China's Tianjin Municipality despite heavy snow, a rare occurrence for this time of year, according to a local volunteer.

The oriental white storks² should have left for the south by the end of November but are still living on the Beidagang Wetland Nature Reserve, which has received a great deal of ice and snow, said Wang Jianmin, a volunteer at the Tianjin Wild Animal Rescue and Training Center.

Heavy snow hit the city on Friday, making it difficult for the birds to find food, as the wetland has largely frozen.

Wang said the birds may have been poisoned by tainted³ food or simply became too weak to fly away.

Volunteers from the center spread small fish on the ice Friday night, all of which was consumed by the storks by the next morning. Food was put out for the birds again Saturday morning and the center plans to offer more food on Sunday.

"If they still don't fly south after eating, it will be a serious problem," said Wang, adding that the case may be related to a recent poisoning incident.

In November, 20 oriental white storks were found dead and another 13 poisoned in the wetland after the waters were confirmed to be tainted with pesticide⁴. Two suspects, who were found to have dispersed⁵ the pesticide for poaching purposes, were caught by police on Nov. 25.

The oriental white stork¹ is included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna⁶ and Flora⁷ (CITES), which means the species is one of the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants. Only 2,500 to 3,000 of the birds exist.

The species, which usually reproduces in the northeast, migrates south for winter. The Beidagang Wetland is an important habitat located along their migratory⁸ route.

1 stork   

n.鹳

参考例句：

• A Fox invited a long-beaked Stork to have dinner with him.狐狸请长嘴鹳同他一起吃饭。
• He is very glad that his wife's going to get a visit from the stork.他为她的妻子将获得参观鹳鸟的机会感到非常高兴。

2 storks   

n.鹳( stork的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Meg and Jo fed their mother like dutiful young storks. 麦格和裘像一对忠实的小鹳似地喂她们的母亲。 来自辞典例句
• They believe that storks bring new babies to the parents' home. 他们相信白鹤会给父母带来婴儿。 来自互联网

3 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

5 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

6 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

7 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

8 migratory   

n.候鸟，迁移

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。