A white-tailed sea eagle, under China's top-level state protection, has been spotted in a reservoir in the southwestern Yunnan Province, local authorities said.

The bird was spotted in the Yudong Reservoir in Shidian County on Dec. 11 by local forestry officials and staff with the administrative center of the Qinghuahai national wetland park, according to the center.

It has recently been identified by experts as a white-tailed sea eagle.

It was the first recorded sighting of the bird in the county.

The species, with a small wild population, mainly feed on fish, but also prey on other birds as well as small- and medium-sized mammals, according to Duan Honglian, a senior engineer with the center.