A Dalmatian pelican circles low above the Qiantang Greater Bay Wetland Park. [Photo by Cheng Guolong/Tide News]

A rare Dalmatian pelican, one of the world's largest and most endangered pelican species, was spotted flying at extremely low altitude over the Qiantang Greater Bay Wetland Park in Hangzhou on Jan 11— a first such sighting in around 20 years of local birdwatching.

"This is the closest I've ever photographed a Dalmatian pelican in my two decades of birding," said Cheng Guolong, vice-director of the wild birds branch of the Zhejiang Wildlife Conservation Association. He captured the moment as the massive bird suddenly took off from nearby reeds, soared low, and then circled gracefully overhead.

A Class I nationally protected species in China, the Dalmatian pelican is listed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Fewer than 150 are now estimated to migrate along the East Asia-Australasian Flyway. Breeding mainly in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, the species winters largely in Wenzhou, a coastal city in Zhejiang province, with occasional stopovers in Hangzhou and surrounding wetlands — underscoring the growing ecological value of the Qiantang region.

Elegant wingbeats of one of the largest pelicans in the world. [Photo by Cheng Guolong/Tide News]