Recently, the Zhejiang Forestry Bureau, the Wild Bird Branch of the Zhejiang Wildlife Conservation Association (Zhejiang Wild Bird Association), and the Hangzhou Bird and Ecology Research Society jointly released the new record of birds in Zhejiang Province in 2021.
In 2021, 12 species of wild birds were recorded in Zhejiang Province, including 2 species of wild animals under national secondary key protection. According to the "Chronicle of Wild Animals in Zhejiang", more than 560 species of wild birds in the province have been recorded.
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New wild birds
The 12 new species of wild birds in Zhejiang Province are brown three-toed quail, pink starling, blue-faced booby, Yunnan willow warbler, white spotted willow warbler, white-waisted fork-tailed petrel, house crow, house sparrow, desert beak, boot hedge warbler, grassland harrier, and green-browed duck.
01 Brown three-toed quail
Turnix suscitator
▲ Brown three-toed quail Zhu Hong/Photo
Discovery: January 14, 2021
Discovery location: Shawan Village, Linhai City, Taizhou City
Compared with the common quail (Coturnix japonica) in Zhejiang, the bird's body feathers have more black and skin-yellow markings, and the beak, tarsal and toes are all blue-gray, and it has been identified as a brown three-toed quail, which is the first new record of birds in Zhejiang Province discovered in 2021. The brown three-toed quail is distributed in the southeast, south and southwestern regions of the mainland, and the distribution closest to Zhejiang Province is northeast Fujian, and this record expands the northern limit of its distribution in the eastern region.
02 Pink Starling
Pastor roseus
▲ Pink starling Song Shichao /Photo
Discovery: February 25, 2021
Location: Near Qiaoyuan Road, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou
The bird is a new record for birds in Zhejiang Province and a new record for birds in Hangzhou. Pink starling is a beautiful songbird, distributed in the northwest of the mainland, there are also a small number of fan bird records in East China in winter, Shanghai, Fujian and other places have sporadic records. This pink starling is a mixture of native spodiopsar sericeus and spodiopsar cineraceus, but its black head, neck, and pink ochre chest and abdomen all indicate its distinctive identity.
03 Blue-faced booby
Sula dactylatra (National Level II Key Protected Wildlife)
▲ Blue-faced booby Wen Chaoran /photo
Discovery: June 8, 2021
Discovery location: Changtu Town Beach, Daishan County, Zhoushan City
It was found to be weak and flight-unable to fly. Its body size is large, the body feathers are black and white, the beak is ivory, short and thick and conical, and the feathers around the eyes are blue-black, which has been identified as an adult bird of blue-faced booby, which is a new record for birds in Zhejiang Province. The blue-faced booby is usually found in the open sea, rarely near the inland, and has a breeding record on the Diaoyu Islands in Taiwan Province, and occasionally appears in the East Overseas Sea when wandering and foraging.
04 Yunnan willow warbler
Phylloscopus yunnanensis
▲ Yunnan Willow Warbler Li Xuan /Photo
Discovery: June 25, 2021
Location: Shuangmiaojian Mountain, Qingyuan County, Lishui City (about 1550 meters above sea level)
The bird is slightly smaller than the common South China crowned willow warbler (Phylloscopus goodsoni), with an olive-green back, a grayish-white abdomen, and a yellowish eyebrow stripe with a clear wing spot. When spotted, the bird stood on top of a pine tree and made a continuous singing, with a monotonous, repetitive two-syllable. After comparative identification, it was confirmed that the bird was a yunnan willow warbler, which is a new record for birds in Zhejiang Province.
The Yunnan willow warbler is mainly distributed in China, breeding in north China, central China to Sichuan, and migrating south to overwinter in winter; there are many transit records in Shanghai Nanhui, but there are no breeding records in East China. This record may indicate the existence of a previously undiscovered breeding population of Yunnan willow warbler in southern Zhejiang, but it does not exclude the possibility that it is a lost bird.
05 White spotted willow warbler
Phylloscopus ogilviegranti
▲ White-spotted willow warbler Li Xuan/Photo
Discovery: June 26, 2021
Location: Fengyang Mountain National Nature Reserve, Longquan City, Lishui City, FengyangJian (about 1840 meters above sea level)
The appearance of the white-spotted willow warbler is similar to the common South China crowned willow warbler (Phylloscopus goodsoni), but it is slightly smaller and more compact overall, the yellow of the eyebrow lines, cheeks and throat is more pronounced, and the outermost pair of tail feathers are white (hence the name), and the song is gentler and less repetitive. The white-spotted willow warbler is mainly bred in central, southern and southeastern china, and the discovery of Lishui should be the first confirmed image record of the bird in Zhejiang Province.
06 White-waisted fork-tailed petrel
Oceanodroma leucorhoa
▲ White-waisted fork-tailed petrel Zhou Rengang / Photo
Discovery: July 16, 2021
Location of discovery: Ruian City, Wenzhou City, about 9 kilometers from the Beiji Archipelago
The bird is small , with dark brown body feathers that have a distinctive " white waist " feature — broader white from the waist to the upper tail , a disconnected middle of the " white waist " ( separated by black feathers ) , a concave central tail feather , and no toes protruding from the end of the tail feather. Combined with the comprehensive judgment of body size, distribution and other information, the bird conforms to the characteristics of the white-waisted fork-tailed petrel, which is a new record for birds in Zhejiang Province. The white-rumped forktail petrel is widely distributed in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, but is usually active in the open sea, rarely close to the inland, and rarely in the mainland, only Taiwan and Heilongjiang have sporadic records.
07 crows
Corvus splendens
▲ Family crow Cao Dingjie / Photo
Discovery: September 2, 2021
Location: Nantiandun Village, Hepu Town, Xiangshan County, Ningbo City
The bird is slightly smaller than the large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos), black throughout, with a purple-blue metallic luster, and dark gray from the pillow to the neck and chest, forming a light collar that contrasts with the black body feathers. After comparative identification, it was determined that it was an adult individual of the domestic crow, which is a new record of birds in Zhejiang Province. Widely distributed in South and Southeast Asia, the house crow was once a relatively common resident bird in southern Tibet, western Yunnan and southern Yunnan, and is now extremely rare; there are records of lost birds in Qingdao, Kunming, Macau and Taiwan.
In February 2019, there was an observation record of a domestic crow arriving in Taiwan from Singapore on an ocean-going ship, according to which it is speculated that the domestic crow found in Xiangshan this time is likely to have arrived by a similar method and should belong to the natural spread of the bird.
On October 30, 2021, another birdwatcher observed a domestic crow in Putuo District, Zhoushan City, and by November 19, a stable small population of five had formed, indicating that the spread of this species is not unique.
08Yaya Mahjong
Pas domesticus
▲ Home Sparrow Fang Minghe / Photo
Discovery: November 1, 2021
Discovery site: Rice paddy field in Ruian City, Wenzhou City, Xiatang River (Ruian Seashore).
When it was spotted, it was mixed with flocks of passer montanus, noticeably larger, and flew back and forth between the harvested rice paddies and the small trees on the edge of the field. The sparrow is distinctly grey from the forehead to the top of the head, black in the chin to the throat, and white in the cheeks, and has been identified as a male domestic sparrow.
In recent years, there have been mysterious birds (or small populations of spreading populations) recorded in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Chongqing, Gansu, Ningxia and other places; the zhejiang domestic sparrow should also belong to the fan bird, which is a new record of birds in Zhejiang Province.
09 Desert
Oenanthe deserts
▲ Mo Yu Chen Xiheng / Photo
Discovery: November 25, 2021
Location: Longwan District, Wenzhou City
The bird is close to the common East Asian stone stejnegeri ( Saxicola stejnegeri ) , with a sandy yellow back , a light , nearly white belly , a light ochre on the flank , black-brown wings , and nearly all black tail feathers and no white margins. Identified as a female bird. Desert is distributed in the western part of the mainland and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and in recent years, there have been records of lost birds in Beijing, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taiwan and other places; the desert birds in Zhejiang should also belong to the lost birds, which is a new record of birds in Zhejiang Province.
10 boots hedge warblers
Iduna caligata
▲ Boots hedge warbler Fan Zhongyong / Photo
Discovery: December 5, 2021
Discovery site: Taizhou Bay Wetland Park, Jiaojiang District, Taizhou City
The bird has a pale olive-brown back, a nearly white belly, pronounced eyebrow lines, dark eye-piercing and side crown lines, a slender beak, a pink beak, a black tip, and a straight standing posture, identified as a boot hedge warbler. The boot hedgerow warbler is a common local resident bird in the western part of Xinjiang, and in recent years, there have been fan birds recorded in Fujian, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other places; the boot hedge warbler recorded in Zhejiang is also a fan bird, which is a new record for birds in Zhejiang Province.
11 Prairie Harriers
Circus macrourus (National Level II Key Protected Wildlife)
▲ Prairie Harrier Fang Minghe / photo
Discovery: December 9, 2021
The bird has light ochre tinge at the abdomen and subwing coverts , a prominent face disc and neck ring on the head , and only four winged fingers. It has been identified as a male juvenile of the prairie harrier. Until January 2022, this grassland harrier has been wandering in the wetlands of Wenzhou Bay and has been observed one after another. Grassland harriers breed in the western part of Xinjiang on the mainland, and only Jiangxi and Jiangsu provinces have a historical record in East China. The grassland harrier recorded in Zhejiang should also belong to the lost bird, which is a new record for birds in Zhejiang Province.
12 green-browed ducks
American Mareca
▲ Green-browed duck Zhou Hongbin /Photo
Discovery: December 19, 2021
Location: Lin'an District, Hangzhou
The bird is similar to the male red-necked duck, but is slightly larger, with a nearly white forehead, dark green eyebrow lines, a pinkish brown forebreast to both sides, long and pointed tail feathers, white underwing coverts, and has been identified as a green-browed duck male.
The green-browed duck breeds in the north and northwest of North America, migrates south to southern and Central America in winter, and occasionally finds lost birds on the east coast of Asia, and has sporadic records only in Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Fujian, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other places, which is very rare. The discovery in Lin'an is a new record of birds in Zhejiang Province and a new record of birds in Hangzhou.
Why are there new records of these birds?
Analyzing the new records of birds at the provincial and municipal levels that have emerged in recent years, it can be found that these new records are mainly derived from:
With the simultaneous survey of migratory waterbirds in Zhejiang Province, the background survey of county-level wild animal and plant resources and other biodiversity surveys and bird research and survey activities have been widely carried out, many new records have been found. 2021 is particularly evident: 6 of the 12 new bird records in Zhejiang Province are from bird survey and monitoring projects;
In-depth bird watching activities. With the increase in the number of bird watching and bird shooting enthusiasts, all kinds of bird watching activities have become more popular and frequent, and the bird recognition ability of this group has been continuously improved, contributing a large number of new bird records. In 2021, several new records of birds in Zhejiang Province were discovered by bird watchers;
With the improvement of the awareness of bird love and bird protection, the number of cases of bird rescue has increased, and some rare bird species records have also been contributed. For example, the white-fronted round-tailed stork rescued in Taizhou Luqiao in 2017 and the blue-faced booby rescued in Zhoushan in June 2021 are all new records for birds in Zhejiang Province;
The impact of extreme weather and weather on bird activity. Every summer, when typhoons make landfall in Zhejiang, they can always bring many seabirds that were originally distributed far away from Zhejiang, such as the red-footed booby found in Zhenhai, Ningbo in June 2016, and the wedge-tailed wedge-tailed stork that appeared in Lishui Longquan in July 2018;
Dynamic changes in the distribution of birds themselves. Perhaps due to climate change, many birds distributed in south China have been found to gradually spread northward in recent years, and the new records of birds in Zhejiang Province found in southern Zhejiang in previous years - yellow-mouthed owl, black-browed woodpecker and green-winged golden dove - have been observed in northern Zhejiang in 2021.