This photo taken on Oct. 20, 2022 shows birds flying over Chenhu Lake wetland in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Wuhan, the capital of central China's Hubei Province, observed and recorded a total of 380 wild bird species in 2022, a new record since 2016 when the city first launched bird monitoring activities, local authorities said.

According to the Wuhan municipal garden and forestry bureau, 20 bird species were newly discovered last year.

Yan Jun, head of the Wuhan Bird Watching Society, attributed the increase in bird population to the city's abundant natural resources, improvement in the ecological environment, and growing public awareness of bird protection.

Yan said they had carried out bird monitoring activities in 79 key areas in Wuhan last year, and the number of wild bird species recorded in the city accounted for about 26.3 percent of the country's total.

Located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and its longest tributary the Hanjiang River, Wuhan is home to more than 13 million permanent residents. It also boasts about 162,000 hectares of wetlands, accounting for 18.9 percent of its total area.