Regulations on viewing of Red-billed gulls in Kunming come into force

Red-billed gulls have become a symbol of Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province. Every year they fly to the city, bringing with them the annual gull watching season.

Birding regulations in Kunming came into force on November 1, with the aim to regulate indiscriminate hunting and illegal capture of gulls.

Photos of red-billed gulls eating bread from the mouth of tourists used to be popular as travelers tried to get as close as possible to the birds for a photo opportunity or grabbed them for fun.

"When some tourists feed the red-billed gulls, they catch them in their hands, which not only scares the birds, but also causes harm to their bodies," said Zhao Xuebing, a PhD candidate from Yunnan University.

Zhao explained that, "the tarsus and metatarsus of the red-billed gulls are relatively fragile, and these injuries will often lead to the bird's death in the wild."

And since these birds are migratory, there's always the possibility of them carrying certain diseases, so "maintaining a reasonable distance is not only for the protection of the bird, but also the protection of people's health," Zhao stressed.

Gull feed needs to meet specific standards but even with stalls selling snacks in scenic spots, some tourists still insist on sharing their cookies and bread with the birds.

"These types of food for birds are similar to junk food people eat," Zhao said, adding that "they lack complete nutritional value for the wintering birds, which require great energy reserves."

"The red-billed gulls feed mainly on aquatic animals such as fish and shrimp, sometimes they rely at a lower degree on plants."

Because the number of birds arriving in Kunming for wintering is huge, some food sources may be naturally insufficient, Zhao said. "Kunming specializes in producing gull food for supplementary feeding using a variety of materials, such as bone meal, fish meal and starch, among others."

In addition, experts also suggest that gull food should not be put in water, because only a small portion of nutrients will be ingested by the birds, while the biggest part will sink to the bottom.

The red-billed gulls that fly to Kunming for wintering mainly come from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China, Mongolia and Russia. They generally travel more than 3,000 kilometers. From October this year to the beginning of spring next year, about 40,000 red-billed gulls are expected to fly to Kunming, spreading between Dianchi Lake, Cuihu Lake and other water bodies.

The Kunming Forestry and Grassland Administration has purchased more than 30 tons of gull food and plans to set up 62 gull food feeding points in the city, to feed the red-billed gulls twice a day. Regular patrols and inspections will also be conducted to stop unauthorized gull food feeding, and penalize illegal behaviors such as hunting, killing and hurting the birds.

(If you have specific expertise and want to contribute, or if you have a topic of interest that you'd like to share with us, please email us at nature@cgtn.com.)