Offenders can face stiff fines, more than 10 years in jail and property confiscation, but there is little official public information on how the policy works or is enforced.

However, a review by Reuters of the forestry administration's social media posts on WeChat since September last year found 36 specific references to bird poaching, with 84 people arrested and 123,000 birds seized in 13 provinces.

High-speed chases

Li, a 42-year-old teacher, leads a group of activists in southern China. He has been involved in high-speed car chases, been beaten by thugs and posed as a buyer to smoke out illegal traders.

"Once, a man came after me with a cleaver," said Li, who declined to give his full name out of fear for his safety, during an all-night patrol. "It's risky but if we don't do anything, things would get a lot worse."

His van is loaded with surveillance kit, including a drone equipped with a digital camera and zoom lens.

He said 20 volunteers in his group gather intelligence on suspect deliveries by truck, plane and train, and pass the information to police.

The group's work has led to numerous arrests, sometimes after high-speed car chases, he said.

As he drove, Li's smartphone beeped frequently with messages from other activists giving vehicle license plate numbers and GPS coordinates of trucks carrying suspicious cargoes.

Some group members have been arrested or warned not to continue their activist work because it could embarrass local authorities, Li said.

"Our interests are the same as the Party - to protect nature, to have a more beautiful China," Li said.

Market place

Activists say the birds are sold through markets and breeding farms alongside legally raised animals in such places as the affluent southern province of Guangdong.

Li said activists estimate 20,000 birds are brought, on average, into Guangdong daily, adding up to more than 7 million annually.