Feature: Lost at sea, found in Africa: a red-footed falcon's legendary flight from China

This undated file photo shows a red-footed falcon flying in the sky. (Photo by Liu Binbin/Xinhua)

JINAN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- In her epic journey from an offshore island in eastern China to the African continent, the red-footed falcon has already flown 13,200 km.

At 4:00 a.m. on Dec. 4, bird-guardian Yu Tao jolted awake, opened the tracking app instinctively and yelped, "She's alive! She crossed the Indian Ocean." Soon, he burst into tears.

The story began two months earlier on Daheishan islet in Bohai Bay, a part of Changdao National Nature Reserve in the eastern Chinese coastal city of Yantai. A small, black-spotted falcon was found thumping softly into the fine-mesh net on Oct. 15.

"Two hundred grams -- bigger than most females," conservation staff Han Xuetao whispered into the phone. "Give her a transmitter?" "Put it on now!" urged Yu, secretary general of Qingdao Birdwatching Association (QBA), at the other end of the line. "A bird that size can carry the story."

Han cradled the small raptor gently and looped the 3-gram tag over her back like a tiny backpack, before the bird, #7276 on the database, rocketed skyward.

Han and Yu are among a growing number of Chinese conservationists -- some supported by national initiatives, others driven by personal dedication -- who are advancing China's vision for ecological civilization.

Now, the nation is translating its "harmony between humanity and nature" philosophy into tangible, country-wide modernization.

Red-footed falcons, listed as a nationally Class II protected species in the country, are renowned long-distance migrants, but still lack precise tracking data for their migratory corridor.

The dot on the screen traced #7276's flight: south across the mountains and rivers of China, over Vietnam and Laos, a week's pause in the paddies of Myanmar, then 2,800 kilometers in five days -- Bangladesh, India and the shimmering edge of the Arabian Sea.

On Nov. 29, the bird lifted off from the Indian coast and the map went blank. Satellite signals cannot reach a bird over open ocean. For 3 days and 18 hours, the team stared at an empty screen, checking every one or two hours, imagining her alone above 4,500 kilometers of water.

When Yu picked up the transmitter's signal in the early hours, the falcon had already made landfall and was foraging calmly in the hills of southern Tanzania. Her final destination is the familiar wintering grounds in South Africa.

"Each logged wingbeat is a precious piece of data," said Yu. "This information will provide a stronger scientific foundation for studying the falcon's flyways and protecting its habitats."

"The falcon's migratory path unfolded like a stirring tale," said Xue Lin, QBA's president. When people follow one bird's journey, they start to care about every bird, he added.

China has designated 394 bird species as nationally protected wildlife. Also protected are 1,028 species recognized as having "important ecological, scientific and social value."

Additionally, 1,140 critical stopover sites are under restoration, with rehabilitation efforts fully implemented across 821 of these key habitats.

Over the past five years, China has rehabilitated and restored approximately 1,780 kilometers of coastline and about 53,000 hectares of coastal wetlands, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Also, China champions global biodiversity cooperation. In May 2024, it launched the Kunming Biodiversity Fund (KBF) to help the developing nations protect their living heritage. The first nine small-scale projects, spread across 15 countries on six continents, are already underway.

This October, the KBF endorsed 22 new projects worth more than 27 million U.S. dollars that will benefit 34 countries worldwide.

#7276's odyssey isn't finished. Next spring, she will swing north again, reversing her sea-crossing highway. "We'll be waiting on the island," Yu said. ■

A conservation staff member puts a transmitter on a red-footed falcon on Daheishan islet, a part of Changdao National Nature Reserve in the city of Yantai, east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 15, 2025. (Xinhua)

Birdwatching volunteers conduct observation on Tuoji islet, a part of Changdao National Nature Reserve in the city of Yantai, east China's Shandong Province, Sept. 13, 2025. (Qingdao Birdwatching Association/Handout via Xinhua)