Yilu National Nature Reserve

　　The Inner Mongolia Ordos Yilu National Nature Reserve is situated in the central part of Ordos City, with geographic coordinates between 109°14′ to 109°23′ east longitude and 33°25′ to 34°00′ north latitude. It is a nature reserve of the plateau inland wetland ecological type. The total area of the reserve is 14

　　770 hectares, with the core zone covering 4

　　753 hectares, the buffer zone 1

　　627 hectares, and the experimental zone 8

　　397

　　hectares. Established in 1998, it was promoted to a national-level nature reserve in 2001 with the approval of the State Council.

　　The main lakes within the reserve include Taolimiao-Alashan Bay Haizi, Houjia Haizi, and Sujia Gebu Haizi. The largest among them, Taolimiao-Alashan Bay Haizi, is located in the center of the nature reserve. The lakeshore is planted with sand-binding forest belts of Salix psammophila and Caragana intermedia. The lake area is camel hump-shaped, with an open water surface and charming scenery. The typical plateau desert and semi-desert wetland ecosystem provides favorable environmental conditions for habitat and breeding of the Relict Gull and many other migratory birds. The region boasts rich bird resources, and its primary conservation targets are 83 species of birds, mainly the nationally first-class protected wild animal—the Relict Gull. The vegetation in the reserve is sparse, mostly consisting of psammophytes. The fauna is dominated by wetland birds, grassland animals, and reptiles. According to surveys, there are 83 species of wetland birds in the reserve, including three nationally first-class protected animals: the Relict Gull, Oriental White Stork, and White-tailed Sea Eagle, as well as more than ten species of nationally second-class protected animals such as the Lesser White-fronted Goose, Red-crowned Crane, Eurasian Spoonbill, Mute Swan, Black-eared Kite, Greater Spotted Eagle, Amur Falcon, Hooded Crane, Northern Goshawk, and Black-winged Stilt. Typical grassland animals mainly include the Mongolian Gerbil, Steppe Polecat, Siberian Weasel, Red Fox, Pallas's Cat, Hedgehog, Mongolian Weasel, Five-toed Pygmy Jerboa, Vole, and Sand Lizard, among other dominant species.

　　The Relict Gull is the main conservation target in the reserve. It belongs to the Laridae family under the order Charadriiformes, with a body length of 430–460 mm. Its iris is black, surrounded by white; the beak and feet are dark red. Summer plumage: the head is blackish-brown, with a white triangular patch above and below the eye, the upper body is pearl gray, the waist and tail feathers are white, the wings are pearl gray with black spots on the primary flight feathers. It inhabits lakes and marshes in grasslands, deserts, and semi-deserts, distributed in desert saline lakes and alkaline lakes at altitudes of 1

　　200–1

　　500 meters on the Ordos Plateau. The Relict Gull is a nationally first-class protected wild animal in China and one of the latest bird species discovered by humans.

　　Yilu National Nature Reserve