The global population of the black-faced spoonbill rose to 7,081 this year, with spotters in Taiwan reporting 4,169 of the birds, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said yesterday, adding that the nation is still the most important wintering ground for the endangered species.
Sightings are recorded annually in an international synchronized bird census coordinated by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society. This year the counting was conducted on Jan. 18 and 19.
Although the number of black-faced spoonbills reported in Taiwan only increased by 34 from the previous survey, the number has been stable for the past three years, the agency said.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Wild Bird Federation
About 90 percent of the birds were spotted along Taiwan’s southwestern coast, with the largest concentrations in Tainan (2,439), Chiayi County (701) and Kaohsiung (408), it said.
Sightings in Changhua and Penghu counties have become more consistent, indicating a slow but steady expansion of wintering sites in Taiwan, it said.
Conservation officials attributed the stable population and habitat expansion to a mix of adaptation and human-led conservation efforts.
Among the efforts is the “eco-pay” scheme launched in 2021, which compensates fish farm owners for keeping pools shallow when they are not being used to provide feeding grounds for the birds, officials said.
Last year more than 180 hectares of fish ponds in Tainan alone were part of the program, they said.
Outside Taiwan, other key wintering sites include China and Japan, which recorded 1,671 and 716 birds respectively, largely unchanged from the previous year, pointing to a global slowdown in population growth, the agency said.
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