New Hunan Client, February 1 (Correspondent Liu Fan, Nie Renke) "It's a Chinese merganser, it's a Chinese merganser, there are 3!" On January 30, the scientific research and monitoring personnel of Baojing Youshui National Wetland Park in Hunan Province and the scientific research and monitoring team of Jishou University found that three Chinese mergansers with the reputation of "living fossils among birds and giant pandas among birds" were playing on the river beach during the monitoring and investigation of the new code section of the Baojing Youshui River (also known as the "White River").
Every year in the middle of winter, thousands of birds travel thousands of miles to the "White River" tidal flats for wintering. On that day, when the team boat reached the new yard section, only a crisp birdsong was heard piercing the sky, and all kinds of birds were chasing and playing on the river, among the treetops, and on the wetlands, or waiting for an opportunity to hunt. The flying figure blends with the landscape of Baojing, depicting a beautiful picture of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
The Chinese merganser duck is a species remnant of the late Tertiary glacial period and is a national first-class protected animal. The body length of the Chinese merganser duck is about 50-60 cm, the feathers are long, in a double crest, the beak is flattened laterally, the front end is prominent, the head and upper back of the male are black, and the lower back and waist are white; The head of the female is brown, the upper body is blue-brown, the wings are mostly black-brown, and the lower back, waist and tail are grayish-brown.
The Chinese merganser is a typical indicator species of forest stream ecosystem, which lives in lakes, mountain streams, ponds and river beaches with excellent ecological environment, and is regarded as a sensitive indicator species for testing water quality. The arrival of the "living fossil of birds" Chinese merganser duck not only has a positive effect and great significance for the scientific research and protection of Youshui wetland, but also marks the continuous improvement of the water quality of the "Baihe" and the continuous improvement of the water ecological environment.