A flock of purple swamp hens was recently spotted scavenging for food at Caohai National Nature Reserve in Southwest China's Guizhou Province.

The purple swamp hens, known as "the most beautiful swamp hens in the world", often settle in China's Yunnan province and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

In the summer of 2013, 16 purple swamp hens were spotted at Caohai National Nature Reserve for the first time. Nowadays, nearly 400 have settled down in the reserve to take advantage of its well-preserved ecosystem.

A flock of purple swamp hens scavenge for food at the Weining Caohai National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province of Feb 13. [Photo by Sai Te/news.gog.cn]

Located in Weining Yi, Hui and Miao autonomous county, the reserve is the largest bird wintering ground in Southwest China, providing sufficient food and a suitable environment for approximately 100,000 migratory birds every year.

With increased environmental protection in recent years, the variety of birds living at the Caohai reserve in winter has increased from 203 species a decade ago to 230 at present.

The purple swamp hens are known as "the most beautiful swamp hens in the world". [Photo by Sai Te/news.gog.cn]