Yangtze Evening News, December 7 (Reporter Zhang Lingfa, Correspondent Wang Wei) On December 7, 8 little swans descended from the clouds to the Jurong Chishan Lake National Wetland Park. Staff said that since the beginning of November this year, five groups of little swans have gone to the Chishan Lake wetland to "report". 2023 has become the most frequent year for the little swans.
Whooper swans are national second-class key protected wild animals, they mainly inhabit rivers and lakes with large areas and rich aquatic plants, usually move in small groups, have an alert temperament, and have extremely high requirements for the habitat environment. They feed on aquatic plants and occasionally eat aquatic invertebrates. At present, it is the migratory season of migratory birds, and the good ecological environment and sufficient food of the Chishan Lake wetland have attracted many migratory birds such as geese and ducks, including whooper swans, to stop or roost.
Chishan Lake National Wetland Park is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China, and is located at the key node of the "East Asia-Australasia" migratory bird flyway, where more than 100 species and tens of thousands of migratory birds come here every year for migration, transit, breeding or wintering. Whooper swans are transiting birds in Chishan Lake, and they usually continue their long migration journey after a short rest, and some years spend their winters in Chishan Lake.
In recent years, with the continuous improvement of the protection and restoration of the ecological environment of the Chishan Lake wetland, the habitat of migratory birds has been significantly improved, and a variety of endangered and rare birds have come to "patronize in groups". In the past five years, the winter bird survey has found that rare birds such as Baer's Pochard, Whooper Swan, and White Spoonbill have been transiting or roosting here year after year, and Chinese mergansers, Oriental white storks, and white-naped cranes have also occasionally come to "check in". At present, there are 208 species of wild birds in 130 genera and 18 orders, 53 families, including 4 species of wild animals under national first-class key protection and 37 species of wild animals under national second-class key protection.
Proofreading by Sheng Yuanyuan.