Ruoerge is a magical place, which in Tibetan means a place that yaks like, because the water and grass are abundant and sparsely populated, and the yaks can live freely without worrying about food. Indeed, the Ruoerge Grassland spans Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces, with a total area of about 53,000 square kilometers, and is one of the three major wetlands in China and the second largest grassland after Hulunbuir.
The geographical location of the Jolgai steppe
In this beautiful land, there are not only many yaks, but also countless rare animals, which is a veritable animal paradise. In a recent article, Uncle Bird will introduce you to the birds of Ruoerge and its friends.
Birds and mice in the same cave
In Jorgai, the most common birds are the snow finches. Snowfinch belongs to the family Finches, there are 7 species in China, and two common species in Ruoerge are onychostruthus taczanowskii and brown-necked snow finch (Pyrgilauda ruficollis). Both birds have a close relationship with pikas, and they are good friends. The Ruoerge steppe has almost no trees and shrublands, and the only vegetation, the grass, withers in winter, and as far as the eye can see, there is almost no place for the vast land. This environment, for a weak snowfinch, is a disaster. However, there is no way out of the sky, and the Creator, in the course of millions of years of evolution, let the snow sparrow choose the path of cohabitation with the pika. The pika provides a cave for the snowfinches to shelter, and the snow finches provide early warnings for the pika to escape, each taking what they need, complementing each other, and the years are quiet. The Erya records: "Birds and rats are in the same cave, and their birds are tú (鵌) and their rats are tū (鼵). "It's the story of the pika and the snow sparrow.
White-waisted snow finch with "deep" eyes (Photo: Uncle Bird)
White-waisted snow sparrow and plateau pika (Source: Web)
Brown-necked snow sparrow with a pair of red eyes (Photo: Uncle Bird)
Brown-necked snowfinches with X markings on the face (Photo: Uncle Bird)
In fact, the pika's roommate is more than two kinds of snow finches, and there is also a bird that is also a regular visitor to the pika family, its name is Pseudopodoces humilis, which belongs to the family. The bird is less than 18 cm long and has a curved crow-like beak, so it has been classified as a crow before, and was called the "brown-backed pseudo-ground crow" at that time. Until 2003, scientists from the United States, Sweden and China jointly published a paper on genetic evolution, which classified the brown-backed ground-like crow into the family and renamed it ground.
Ground ( Photo: Uncle Bird )
In 2006, when I was in Ruoerge, there were many ground, walking on the grasslands, you can see ground anytime and anywhere, and from time to time they emerge from the pika cave. Time has passed, and now to Ruoerge, where you can see at any time, the birds that emerge from the pika hole have been replaced by snow finches, and the ground can only be seen far from the road.
Ground (Photo: Uncle Bird)
Ground living in pika caves (Source: Internet)
Gossal King's Wrangler
The black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis) is a big star in the Ruoerge grassland and the flagship protected species of the Ruoerge National Nature Reserve. This is one of the most recently named and mysterious cranes. According to Tibetan legend, the high-pitched voice of the black-necked crane can be heard by warhorses hundreds of miles away, so it is known as the wrangler of King Gesar.
This is a baby black-necked crane born that year (Photo: Uncle Bird)
The number of black-necked cranes breeding in Ruoergehua Lake is about 1,000 every year, accounting for about 1/10 of the global total number. This season, when you go to Ruoerge, you can enjoy the happy and harmonious scene of the black-necked crane family.
Black-necked crane (national first-class protected animal) performed on the Jolgai courtship performance in spring (Photo: Uncle Bird)
Black-necked crane having to be neighbored by a domestic yak (Photo: Uncle Bird)
Birds of Prey's Paradise
Birds of prey are another spectacle of Ruoerge, where you can see a wide variety of birds of prey, from the huge Aegypius monachus (a large, wingspan of up to 2 meters), to the Athene noctua, which is smaller than a magpie; to the falcon (Falco cherrug), which is as fast as lightning (the fastest instantaneous speed is up to 360 km/h), and the himalayensis, which soars mainly by air currents. But the most common, however, is the Giant Eagle (Buteo hemilasius), a bird of prey that likes to stand on the poles on both sides of the Flower Lake National Highway, standing still like a soldier lined up to welcome tourists.
Immovable eagles on telephone poles on both sides of Huahu National Road (Photo: Uncle Bird)
The big bird couple squatting on the mound (Photo: Uncle Bird)
The big bird in the hunt, the distance is very close, and it will explode the frame if you are not careful (Photo: Uncle Bird)
The big bird that is being moulted looks like a hanger with rags hanging (Photo: Uncle Bird)
Once on the way to Hachu Lake behind the Flower Lake, I happened to encounter such a scene: a red car was driving on the grass, several large birds were circling in the sky, and several identical big birds stood on the grass not far from the car. The car stopped, stepped down a Tibetan, took something out of the trunk and scattered it on the ground. The big bird circling in the air fell, and the big bird waiting not far away jumped over with flapping wings. I found out from my telescope that these big birds were the alpine vulture (Gyps himalayensis), a scavenger of prey.
Tibetans delivering "takeaways" and waiting alpine vultures (national second-class protected animals) (Photo: Uncle Bird)
Alpine vultures fall down to get a meal (Photo: Uncle Bird)
Waiting alpine vultures and vultures (Aegypius monachus) (right, national protected animal) (Photo: Uncle Bird)
In addition to the alpine vulture and vulture, there is also a bird in the Ruoerge steppe that specializes in eating carrion , the Gypaetus barbatus ( barbatus ) , which has two strands of "beard" at the corner of its mouth, orange-yellow cheeks, and a majestic physique. The wulture's tail is raised in the middle, in the shape of a wedge, very recognizable, without a telescope, as long as you see a large bird with a wedge-like tail hovering in the air, it is generally it.
The bearded vulture circling high in the air (national first-class protected animal) (Photo: Uncle Bird)
This angle clearly sees the "beard" of the bearded vulture (Photo: Uncle Bird)
The Ruoerge region is also home to another national treasure, the national bird of Hungary and Mongolia, the pet of the Arab prince, the fuse of the movie No Man's Land, and one of the fastest flying birds, the Falco cherrug. Falcons are the largest falcons, with a strong sense of territory that they can drive birds of prey larger than themselves, and I have seen a rare sight of two falcons fighting the great eagle in Jorgai. Regarding the translation of the word Falcon, many reports in the domestic media are misleading, such as the Falcon-9 recyclable rocket launched by Musk a few years ago, which is translated as Falcon 9 in China, and it should be called Falcon 9 to be precise.
The falcon (a national first-class protected animal) squatting at home, and its nest is located at the entrance of the cave below (Photo: Uncle Bird)
Falcon hatching eggs (Photo: Uncle Bird)
The Black Iris (Milvus migrans) is also a relatively common bird of prey, and flocks of black kites can often be seen on the way to Flower Lake. The black kite, which is also well recognizable, has its tail, which is the opposite of the bearded vulture, and the central part is concave, resembling a carp's tail. Driving on the prairie road, you can often see a small bird standing motionless on the power line, even if the car roars under its feet, it is still indifferent. This bird is a small owl called the Athene noctua .) Fluffy feathers cover the neck, making the already rounded body look more like a ball, resembling the new Star Wars robot BB-8.
Black kites hunting in pastoral areas (Photo: Uncle Bird)
Is there a little bit of BB-8's sense of déjà vu (Photo: Uncle Bird)
The cute little owl that looks at you (Photo: Uncle Bird)
There are many more stories of these birds on the Ruoerge steppe, the next article we will continue to introduce... , or come to our Ruoerge expedition camp, let Uncle Bird take you to the field to observe these interesting birds, listen to Uncle Bird tell their stories...
Note: There are still some remaining places in the second and third and fourth phases of our Ruoerge Expedition Camp, and the forecast is as soon as possible. For registration details, please refer to the official account: Science Seed Club.