A promotion event for the protection of wetland birds was held in Beidagang Wetland in Tianjin on Sunday, local news portal tianjinwe.com reported.

The event was held to raise awareness for the need to protect migrant birds and the spots they stop over.

Members of the Tianjin Museum of Nature and the Birds Association, volunteers of the Tianjin Bird Watching Society, local residents and university students attended the event.

According to volunteers of the Tianjin Bird Watching Society, more than 150 species of migrant birds stay in the wetland for two months each year. The volunteers patrol the area and report illegal hunting to authorities.

About 20 Oriental white storks, an endangered species, were found dead last month after being poisoned by poachers in the Beidagang wetland, attracting wide attention to the need to protect wetland birds. Two suspects were detained.