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Over 200 Chinese mergansers found in Yichang section of Yangtze River

CGTN

In the recently concluded 2024 winter bird survey in central China's Hubei Province, more than 200 Chinese mergansers, a national first-class protected species, were recorded in the Yichang section of the Yangtze River. The survey also identified two new habitats for the species.

Chinese mergansers found in Yuanan Juhe National Wetland Park, Yichang City, Hubei Province, central China, January 21, 2025. /VCG
Chinese mergansers found in Yuanan Juhe National Wetland Park, Yichang City, Hubei Province, central China, January 21, 2025. /VCG

Chinese mergansers found in Yuanan Juhe National Wetland Park, Yichang City, Hubei Province, central China, January 21, 2025. /VCG

Located at the junction of the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Yichang City boasts a 232-kilometer riverbank. In recent years, the construction of "green ecological corridors" along the Yangtze has been promoted in Yichang, which becomes a model city for ecological protection of the river.

These efforts have significantly improved the ecological environment in the Yichang section, making it a critical wintering habitat for waterfowls.

Chinese mergansers in Yuanan Juhe National Wetland Park, Yichang City, Hubei Province, central China, January 21, 2025. /VCG
Chinese mergansers in Yuanan Juhe National Wetland Park, Yichang City, Hubei Province, central China, January 21, 2025. /VCG

Chinese mergansers in Yuanan Juhe National Wetland Park, Yichang City, Hubei Province, central China, January 21, 2025. /VCG

The week-long bird survey covered five national wetland parks, one provincial wetland park and one provincial nature reserve in the Yichang area.

A total of 9,347 birds, representing 112 species from 16 orders and 42 families, were recorded. These included 208 Chinese mergansers and seven black storks.

A bull-headed shrike in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, east China, March 4, 2018. /VCG
A bull-headed shrike in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, east China, March 4, 2018. /VCG

A bull-headed shrike in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, east China, March 4, 2018. /VCG

New bird records were also discovered in different wetland parks, such as the bull-headed shrike, osprey and Eurasian wigeon in Yidu Tianlongwan, Zhijiang Jinhu and Yuanan Juhe national wetland parks, respectively.

Professor Li Xiang from Huazhong Agricultural University, who participated in the survey, noted that the number of Chinese mergansers in Yichang has increased over the past three years.

Chinese mergansers in Yuanan Juhe National Wetland Park, Yichang City, Hubei Province, central China, January 21, 2025. /VCG
Chinese mergansers in Yuanan Juhe National Wetland Park, Yichang City, Hubei Province, central China, January 21, 2025. /VCG

Chinese mergansers in Yuanan Juhe National Wetland Park, Yichang City, Hubei Province, central China, January 21, 2025. /VCG

The species has been observed not only in the Yichang section of the Yangtze but also in the Huangbai River, a tributary of the Yangtze. This indicates the effectiveness of ecological restoration in the Huangbai River basin and the ongoing improvement of the Yangtze River's environment.

(Cover: A Chinese merganser spotted in Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province, east China, January 4, 2025. /VCG)

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