More wintering Siberian Cranes in Guangdong Province, China

In winter 2019-2020, Guangdong Province in Southern China had the first record of nine Critically Endangered Siberian Crane in Jiangmen City. This January, a flock of 11 Siberian Crane were recorded on 20th  January in Mashizhen Shixing County of Guangdong Province, 280 km away from where the bird was recorded in winter 2019-2020. Then on 27th February, birdwatchers from Zhuhai Birdwatching Society sighted a single Siberian Crane in Zhuhai City.

Siberian Cranes in Mashizhen, Shixing County  of Guangdong Province, China © Chen Hongchao

Siberian Crane © Zhuhai Birdwatching Society

 

Siberian Crane, listed as a Critically Endangered species by the IUCN Red List, has a global population of fewer than 4000 individuals. It breeds in the Arctic tundra of Yakutia in Russia and winters almost entirely at the Poyang Lake and nearby Yangtze basin wetlands in central China. Rare records of more than 2 birds were recorded outside the Yangtze basin in winter (single bird in 2002 and two birds in 2016 recorded in the Inner Deep Bay wetlands of Hong Kong, and single birds in Taiwan and Yunnan in recent years). Siberian Crane is also occasionally found wintering in Ro Korea and Japan.

The Siberian Crane is listed in Class I of  National Key Protected Wild Animal of China and there is a Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Siberian Crane under The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). After confirming the record of Siberian Cranes in Shixing County, the government immediately took action to set up notice board on restriction in disturbing or hunting and harming the birds.

Notice board to warn any disturbance, hunting and damage the birds and the habitats at Shixing Country © Lei Lei

Eleven Siberian Cranes in Mashizhen, Shixing County  of Guangdong Province, China © Chen Hongchao

 

To promote “‘The Year of Cranes” EAAFP Partner, International Crane Foundation (ICF) produced the animation “The story of Siberian Crane “Flappy” for the general public to understand the life of the Critically Endangered Siberian Crane.

Original news:

Record in Shixing County: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/AQQaUMp6Ofo5yOp7z0jFUA
Record in Zhuhai City: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/6jQKxBspj7DZmdZDZAPKpw\

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