Photographers captured images of a flock of seven Chinese mergansers that had recently arrived at the Hailang River in Heilongjiang province.

The birds created a lively scene as they flew about the river and occasionally dove into the water for food.

Listed as a national first-level protected animal and classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list, Chinese mergansers have been dubbed "living fossils".

In recent years, ecological conservation efforts have been strengthened. More Chinese mergansers appear every spring as the environment improves.