Tumuji National Nature Reserve belongs to Zhalaite Banner, Xing'an League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It is located at the junction of Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces. It is an important wetland in the Greater Khingan Range of my country. It mainly protects rare birds such as great bustards and red-crowned cranes and the grassland and wetland ecosystems on which they depend for survival. The total area is 1.14 million mu. The reserve is an important station for bird migration connecting South China and the Russian Far East. Every year, more than 50 species of birds such as red-crowned cranes and white-headed cranes migrate here, with a total number of more than 200,000.
The great bustard is the representative species of the Tumuji Reserve and a national first-class protected bird. It belongs to the family of Bustards of the order Gruiformes. It looks a bit similar to the family of Anatidae, but it is very different from the common cranes and ducks we see. Cranes are wading birds, ducks are swimming birds, and they generally feed on aquatic plants and animals. The great bustard is a ground-dwelling bird that feeds on grass seeds, insects, etc. It is a typical grassland bird. The adult male Great Bustard can reach 17.5 kg. It is good at running and has many living habits similar to those of ostriches. It is known as the "Asian Ostrich". But the biggest difference between it and the ostrich is that it can fly and is one of the largest flying birds in the world.
Tumuji Nature Reserve is the only reserve in China that focuses on protecting Great Bustards. The number of Great Bustards is about 300 at its peak, accounting for half of the number of Great Bustards in China. It is the area with the highest number and density of Great Bustards in my country and even in the world. In 2009, the China Wildlife Conservation Association awarded the Zhalai Banner, where Tumuji is located, the title of "Hometown of Great Bustards in China".
How to see the Tumuji Nature Reserve is so large? There are two main attractions: one is to visit the education base, and the other is to watch birds in the core area.
The education base has a natural museum, which has a Great Bustard Hall, an Ecological Hall, a Plant Specimen Picture Hall, and an Audio-visual Education Hall, which can enable everyone to quickly understand the situation of animals and plants in the reserve. There is also a captive area in the base, which mainly displays birds rescued by the reserve and their offspring. The main animals on display include great bustards, red-crowned cranes, white-naped cranes, and hooded cranes.
After visiting the missionary base, you can go to the core area to watch birds. There is a small building for observation near Tumuji Paozi. After climbing the building, you can look far away on the platform, or use a telescope, a telephoto camera or a mobile phone to take pictures. If the small building is closed and you cannot climb up, you can also use a drone for aerial photography. You can observe horses grazing on the grassland, as well as birds such as red-crowned cranes and gray cranes.
It takes about two hours to visit the two points, plus taking pictures. After the visit, you can have lunch in Tumuji Town.