The first group of blue-tailed bee-eaters arrived recently at the Wuyuan Bay Blue-Tailed Bee-Eaters Nature Reserve in Xiamen, Fujian province.

The species, which is under second-class national protection, is a tropical bird with bright feathers. They live mainly in Southeast Asia and can be observed in the southern and eastern coastal areas of China between April and October.

The birds were found flying over the reserve.

"To provide the birds a more comfortable habitat, we have done repair work at the reserve and optimized the surrounding environment," a staff member with the city's bureau of planning and natural resources said. "More than 50 blue-tailed bee-eaters have nested at the reserve."