‘Tiniest waterfowl' cotton pygmy gooses appear in SW China

On September 24, 2021, in the Yushi Wetland Park of Longquanyi District in Chengdu City of southwest China's Sichuan Province, two fluffy duck-liked birds were spotted swimming and foraging in the water. The birds are called the cotton pygmy goose or cotton teal. They are known as one of the smallest waterfowl species in the world. They are widely distributed across Asia, and are under second-class state protection in China.