At the end of the year, a group of familiar "old friends" returned to Chengdu.
At present, it is the best time to see winter migratory birds. Winter migratory birds refer to birds that overwinter in a certain area in winter, fly to the north to breed in the spring of the following year, and fly to this area to wintering in autumn. As far as Chengdu is concerned, birds such as geese and wild ducks come here to winter in autumn and winter, and breed in the north in spring and summer.
Among the nine major migratory bird flyways in the world, four pass through China, namely the Western Pacific Flyway, the East Asia-Australasia Flyway, the Central Asia-South Asia Flyway and the West-East Africa Flyway.
Among them, the species and number of migratory birds observed and recorded account for about 20%-25% of the world's total. Thus, in the country, you will have the opportunity to see about 1 4 migratory birds in the world. Chengdu is located at the intersection of the two flyways of East Asia, Australia and Central Asia and South Asia. According to the relevant person in charge of the Municipal Park City Bureau, every autumn, in order to avoid the cold winter in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, a large number of migratory birds will migrate southward, some of which will fly to the tidal flats of the Bay of Bengal, the coastal wetlands of northwest Australia, the coastal wetlands of southern New Zealand, etc., and the other part will stay in the Sichuan Basin in China, or fly to the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and other places in the south for wintering.
So, as an important migratory "station" for thousands of birds, what is special about Chengdu?Nowadays, every autumn and winter, the major parks and waterfront greenways in Chengdu can always see the spectacular scene of birds flying together. According to the 2022 Chengdu Plain Wintering Waterbird Survey data, a total of 89,222 waterbirds were recorded in autumn and winter last year, a new high in recent years.
The migratory birds in Chengdu can be roughly divided into three parts: one part is migrating from the northeast, including Russia, and migratory birds in the northeast of China;A small proportion migrate from the northwest, including migratory birds from western Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai and Ningxia, as well as wetland waterbirds from XinjiangThe remainder is a small vertical migration, wintering at low altitudes such as the Chengdu Plain in the winter and breeding in the high mountains near the Chengdu Plain in the summer.
As a park city demonstration area, Chengdu has many places where you can "meet" migratory birds. In Xinglong Lake, there are birds such as whooper swans, common mergansers, and red-breasted mergansersIn Qinglong Lake Wetland Park, birds such as black-necked, fish, and gray-headed buntings hover on Bird IslandIn Baihetan National Wetland Park, herons, small ducks, spot-billed ducks and other birds "rest" to replenish energy ......
The arrival of migratory birds depends not only on the seasons, but also on the ecological environment that can be inhabited. The Chengdu Plain belongs to the Minjiang River Basin, which is rich in wetlands and water resources, and there are many environments suitable for winter migratory birds in the city. The constantly updated new species records in Chengdu are excellent evidence of Chengdu's rich wetland resources and superior ecological environment.
A set of data confirms the changes in the ecological environment - in 2016, there were 466 species of birds in Chengdu, 516 in 2021, and by 2023, a total of 566 species of birds have been observed and recorded in Chengdu, accounting for 39% of the national total17%。Birds are an important part of the natural ecosystem and play a very important role in maintaining the balance and stability of the ecosystem. With the continuous advancement of the construction of park cities, more and more migratory birds are "checking in" to lakes and wetlands around the country, which is a vivid portrayal of the continuous improvement of the ecological environment.
Let's record my city
Chengdu ** Jinguan News reporter Li Feifei Responsible editor He Qitie Photo courtesy of the Municipal Park City Bureau.