Record number of Chinese mergansers spotted in Yichang
2025-01-25 19:01:43
By Ma Yuhan, Zheng Yan also contributed to this article.
Bird monitors in Yichang have recorded a historic high of 208 Chinese mergansers during the 2024 Winter Bird Survey, surpassing 200 for the first time in the area.
Chinese mergansers in Yuan’an Juhe Wetland Park. Photo by Shu Renqing
A survey conducted by the Hubei Provincial Forestry Bureau from January 8 to 14 documented 9,347 birds across 112 species, including two national first-class protected species: the Chinese merganser and seven black storks.
Notable new species were identified in various parks, including the bull-headed shrike at Yidu Tianlongwan Wetland Park, the osprey at Zhijiang Jinhu Wetland Park, and the Eurasian wigeon at Yuan’an Juhe Wetland Park.
Researchers also found two new habitats for Chinese mergansers in the Zhijiang section of the Yangtze River and the Yiling section of the Huangbai River.
Li Xiang, a professor at Huazhong Agricultural University, noted that the increasing number of Chinese mergansers in Yichang over the past three years underscores its importance as a key habitat in Hubei Province.
