In the verdant landscapes of Napo, a county nestled in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and bordering Yunnan province, a remarkable event unfolded from March 27 to 29 — the county's first bird-watching festival.

The bird race brought together 15 teams comprising 60 bird-watchers from across the country, who participated in the three-day competition and successfully documented an impressive 259 bird species. Among these were 10 species newly recorded in the area, including the elusive limestone leaf warbler and the State-protected Mrs. Hume's pheasant.

The competition featured several awards, such as the Top Team Award, Breakthrough Award, and Supreme Bird Species Award. The Supreme Bird Species Award was presented to the team that captured the photographs of limestone leaf warbler. Zhao Xiangyu, the team leader, shared their discovery process: "We heard a distinct warbler-like call by the roadside and suspected it might be this species. It's quite similar in appearance to sulphur-breasted warbler, which makes it difficult to distinguish between them. The key is to compare their songs through recordings."

Professor Jiang Aiwu from Guangxi University's Forestry College, a judge for the bird race, explained the verification process: "After participants submitted their bird-watching records, we used our expertise to confirm the sightings. We checked photos or sound recordings of some suspicious species before validating their presence." He noted that the participating bird-watchers contributed to adding 10 bird species, including the pheasant, the warbler, painted snipe and bluethroat, to the county's bird checklist. These findings have significantly enriched Napo's avian database with invaluable firsthand records.

Jiang said that Napo is likely the county with the most bird species in Guangxi and with its more than 200-kilometer-long border with Vietnam and well-protected subtropical forests, holds great potential for further avian discoveries. "I actually look forward to the discovery of several more key species in Napo," Jiang said. "With the influx of more bird-watchers from other parts of the country, I believe these species will be found one after another."

According to figures from the Rosefinch Center, there were only eight observation records of birds from Napo on BirdReport, the country's major bird record website. By 2025, this figure had increased to 9,093, and so far this year, it has already surged to 19,987, thanks to the successful unfolding of the event.