Video source: Fujian Birdwatching Association
Fujian Daily·New Fujian Client October 27 (Reporter Zhang Hui Correspondent Chen Xueling) On the 27th, the reporter learned from the Fujian Birdwatching Association that the association recorded the entire process of breeding of national first-class protected wildlife Chinese Crested Tern this summer, on the coast of our province. This is the first time in Fujian's history.
Chinese crested tern Xiao Bingxiang photographed
As a critically endangered species around the world, the number of Chinese crested terns is only about 150 globally. Due to their sparse number and mysterious traces, they were called "birds of myths" and were once considered extinct. In the summer of 2000, after 63 years of "disappearance", people once again found its traces in Mazu . At present, Chinese crested terns are mainly distributed in Taiwan, Fujian, Zhejiang and other places in my country. Since its breeding ground is in an uninhabited island, it is extremely difficult to protect.
In 2004, two Chinese crested terns were observed for the first time in the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland in our province. Since then, from April to September every year, the Chinese Crested Tern will always visit the Minjiang River Estuary Wetlands as scheduled. It was also from this year that volunteers from the Fujian Birdwatching Association started a journey to search for Chinese crested terns on the coastal island of Fujian.
On July 20, 2008, members of the Fujian Bird Watching Association and members of the Taipei Wild Bird Society recorded a Chinese crested tern with a plastic tube with a lower beak in the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland and Mazu. This has led the conservation agencies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to confirm that the Minjiang River Estuary Wetland and the Chinese Crested Tern in Mazu are the same group. Since then, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have carried out 14 years of protection cooperation actions.
Chinese crested tern discovered by volunteers when they visited Simuyu in September 2018 Photo by Fujian Birdwatching Association
In September 2018, a seminar on the conservation and exchange of Chinese crested terns across the Taiwan Strait was held in Fuzhou. At the meeting, the Taipei Wild Bird Society provided a "2016-2017 Chinese Crested Tern Satellite Positioning Map". The positioning map shows that a Chinese Crested Tern with a satellite locator on its back often appears in Simuyu, Lianjiang County. After the meeting, the volunteers immediately took action and soon recorded the figures of two Chinese limelight tern in Simuyu, and judged that this place was likely to be a new breeding ground. The Fujian Birdwatching Association then established a special conservation team to carry out four years of uninhabited island surveys and population protection and restoration for the island group and surrounding areas.
Volunteers are laying out fake birds. Photo by Fujian Birdwatching Association
In the spring of 2021, based on the early remote monitoring, volunteers started the social recruitment of terns on Simuyu, that is, based on habitat arrangements such as weeding, rat eradication, and gravel laying, they set up fake bird models to attract transit Chinese limelight terns to land on the island to breed.
Chinese limelight tern chick "Huabao" recorded by volunteers. Photo by Fujian Birdwatching Association
Starting from the end of May 2022, Simuyu has attracted 7 Chinese crested terns and more than 800 large crested terns to arrive. On July 3, after a month of waiting for hatching, the volunteers finally recorded the first Chinese limelight tern chick and named it "Huabao".
This summer, our province has more rain and less rain in the early stage, and has high temperatures and less rain in the later stage. Affected by this, the success rate of hatching terns on Simu Island is not high. During the entire breeding season, only one Chinese crested tern and 52 large crested terns emerged from their shells and survived.
Chinese crested tern on Simu Island Photo by Fujian Birdwatching Association
"The successful at attraction of Chinese crested terns in Simu Island shows that our province has made a major breakthrough in saving this critically endangered bird species." Yang Jin, executive vice president of Fujian Birdwatching Association, said that in the future, experience in the habitat restoration and attraction of Simu Island will be promoted on other islands in Fujian, and further expand the population of Chinese crested terns.
Source: New Fujian
