As temperatures fall, Yancheng Wetland and Rare Birds National Nature Reserve has welcomed the arrival of the first dozen red-crowned cranes, including a family with a juvenile.

Video footage captured by staff members of the nature reserve show that the juvenile bird standing between its parents, learning to forage. This marks the first sighting of a red-crowned crane family this fall migrating here for the winter.

Chen Guoyuan, an official at the nature reserve, noted that the young bird has a yellow neck, unlike the black color of an adult bird, and its feathers are not as white as those of adult birds.

There are only about 4000 wild red-crowned cranes in the world. Each year, around 400 birds migrate to the nature reserve in October, staying until mid-to-late February before departing for their breeding grounds.

Currently, as many as 20 million birds of various species choose to stop here to refuel or spend the winter. Data shows the reserve is home to 1,855 types of animals, among which are 28 bird species under national-level protection, including the hooded crane and the Oriental stork.