hankyoreh

A black-winged stilt missing a leg was first observed by an expert birdwatcher near Suncheon Bay, in South Chungcheon Province, last year. This year, the same bird was observed with a mate. The black winged stilt is known for its mass migrations to areas like Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia during the winter, meaning the bird survived such a perilous, long-distance journey to be seen in Korea two years in a row. Despite the bird’s missing leg, likely cut off after being trapped by a discarded fishing line, it continues to fly, hunt and even mate, a remarkable demonstration of its will to survive.