They searched for birds in thick forest, stayed with them for months to observe their behavior, and they are now ready to talk about their findings.

The 23rd International Ornithological Congress, the Olympics for bird lovers, is kicking off on Monday at the Beijing International Convention Center.

Congress Secretary General Xu Weishu said it was the first time China had hosted the four-year event, which was held every four years.

During the convention, an exhibition of Mesozoic bird fossils from China is going to be opened to the public.

Precious fossils of the Confucius Bird, Cathay Bird, Liaoning Bird and Gansu Bird will be among the display.

The one-week convention is held under the auspices of the International Ornithological Committee.

It was organized by the China Ornithological Committee and sponsored by the Swarovski Optik, China Committee for International Union of Biological Science and the Beijing Normal University.

More than 800 ornithologists from around the world, including 100 from China, will publish their papers at the convention.

During one of the sessions, Zhou Zhonghe, researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will introduce for the first time a major achievement of Chinese ornithologists ?the Mesozoic birds of China.

A total of 40 presentations are scheduled for the convention, where ornithologists will discuss topics such as the migration and conservation of cranes and storks, the impact of global climate change on birds and mating patterns and ecology.

The 2002 International Crane Workshop, the International Pheasant Workshop and the 9th International Grouse Symposium will also be held during the convention.

"China became the host of the international ornithological congress thanks to the outstanding achievements of Chinese ornithologists and the variety of birds in China," said Zhang Zhengwang, president of the Chinese Committee of the International Ornithological Convention.

China boasts 1,329 kinds of birds, ranking it fifth in the world.

Chinese ornithologists have successfully protected endangered species like the carbots tragopan, discovered a number of precious fossils of Mesozoic birds and made important discoveries on the relic gull and Saunder's gull.

The first International Ornithology Congress was held in 1884.

(China Daily August 9, 2002)