Dawan News "I came home from shooting birds in Wangjiaba National Wetland Park, and I was still sorting out the pictures. On April 25, Du Ping, a photography enthusiast in Funan County, told the Dawan News reporter that Funan found a national treasure bird - the painted ibis, which played a great role in radiation propaganda, and in the past two days, Huainan, Bengbu, Hefei and other places have come to Funan for shooting.
The painted ibis makes its first appearance in Mengwa
Du Ping told the Dawan News reporter that in the early morning of April 21, Li Zhanhuai, chairman of the Funan County Photographers Association, organized local photography enthusiasts to go to the Mengwa area to photograph bird activities as usual.
At about 8 o'clock, they were pleasantly surprised to find seven national first-class protected wild animals in the Mengwa wetland, the painted ibis, which is a rarer wild animal than the crested ibis.
"Now the Mengwa wetland is very large, and there are a lot of birds. Du Ping told the Dawan News reporter that when he saw the colorful ibis, everyone thought it was very beautiful, and they didn't seem to have seen it before. Later, the relevant experts checked and confirmed that it was a national first-class protected wild animal - the painted ibis.
It is understood that Wangjiaba National Wetland Park is built on the Mengwa Wetland, with a total planned area of 7054.47 hectares and a wetland coverage rate of 95.85%. There are 154 species of vascular plants in 114 genera and 46 families, and 261 species of wild vertebrates in 73 families and 31 orders.
Li Yongmin, an associate professor at Fuyang Normal University's School of Biological and Food Engineering, said that the painted ibis is a traveling bird, and it may have passed through the Mengwa wetland and stayed briefly during its northward migration. This is the first time that this rare bird has been found in Fuyang and even northern Anhui, which is of great significance for the study of biodiversity in Fuyang.
Why migratory birds love Mengwa
The painted ibis is a genus of the family Ibis, and its feathers are gorgeously colored, hence its name, and its feathers are also nicknamed "colorful black", which is an endangered species.
The Red Book of Endangered Species in China has declared the painted ibis extinct in China, and with the improvement of the mainland's ecological environment in recent years, the painted ibis has gradually reappeared since 2009. In the 2021 edition of the List of Wild Animals under National Key Protection, the painted ibis has been upgraded from a national second-class protected wild animal to a national first-class protected wild animal.
In 2023, the relevant team of Fuyang Normal University carried out an annual survey of the biodiversity of Fuyang Nature Reserve, covering Yingzhou West Lake, Yingquan Quanshui Bay, Taihe Shaying River, Funan Wangjiaba and other places. The results showed that there are more than 150 species of wild birds in the Wangjiaba National Wetland Park, which is built on the Mengwa Wetland, and the bird diversity is at a high level among the nature reserves in the city.
Why are so many migratory birds, including the painted ibis, so fond of Mengwa? According to analysis, this is inseparable from the unique climate and ecological environment of the region.
In December 2015, the former State Forestry Administration approved the pilot work of Wangjiaba National Wetland Park in Funan, Anhui Province. Liu Hao, deputy director of the Funan County Wetland Management Center, said that after several years of hard work, in December 2022, the wetland park successfully passed the pilot acceptance of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
Wangjiaba National Wetland Park is located at the intersection of the two major flora in the north and south of China, and is extremely rich in animal and plant resources.
In addition, the local Caoji Town has carried out a characteristic comprehensive planting and breeding model such as "lotus root shrimp co-culture", "rice and shrimp co-cultivation" and "black fish polyculture", with an area of more than 20,000 acres, and the planting area of Laoguan Township is also more than 20,000 acres. "These constructed wetlands that have emerged in recent years have not only enriched the local ecosystem, but also provided valuable resting and wintering habitats for migratory birds. Liu Hao said.
Dawan News reporter Wang Zhenyu correspondent Yuan Ye Du Ping photo report
Edited by Tauna