Hometown of relict gulls

Relict gulls (Larus relictus) fly above the Hongjianzhuo Lake in Shenmu County of Yunlin City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, June 24, 2011. The Hongjianzhuo Lake is also dubbed "hometown of relict gulls" given that around 10,000 relict gulls, or 90 percent of the endangered specie's population all around the world, inhabit here from May to October every year. But the lake shrinked continuously from the record 67 square kilometers in 1996 down to 41.8 square km this year, which was caused by the reduction of water supply, severely threatening relict gulls which are vulnerable to changes of water level.[Photo/Xinhua]