Black-faced Spoonbills Reappear in Xiamen (Photo)

Taihai Net, March 25th (Haixi Bao reporter Chen Yushan/text provided by Xiamen Bird Watching Association) Amidst the wetland tidal flats, black-faced and snow-white figures are occasionally visible, sometimes pecking for food and sometimes quietly resting. They are called elegant 'Black-faced Dancers'.

At high and low tide, black-faced spoonbills often forage on the tidal flats.

On the morning of March 23rd, before high tide, Mr. Ko of the Xiamen Bird Watching Association discovered one black-faced spoonbill among a group of white egrets. Shortly thereafter, he discovered another one across the river.

In order not to disturb the 'spoonbill', Mr. Ko crawled 20 meters to find the most appropriate position closest to them. 'It is the breeding season for spoonbills, and they are growing breeding feathers, with a 'haircut' behind their heads and a golden collar around their necks, which is very beautiful.'

According to reports, black-faced spoonbills are also known as 'small spoonbills', 'black-faced egrets', 'black spoonbills', and 'sparrow-beaked egrets'. They are named because of their long, black beak resembling a pipa (a Chinese lute). They were listed as Class II protected wild animals in 1989, and now are one of the globally endangered bird species.

It is worth mentioning that seven black-faced spoonbills were discovered in the same area of Da'yu Bridge Head last January. Mr. Peng Zhiwei, the president of the Xiamen Bird Watching Association, believes that the continuous discovery over two years is not accidental. 'Black-faced spoonbills are very sensitive to the environment and have high requirements for their habitat. With the gradual improvement of Xiamen's ecological environment and the increasing awareness of the public regarding the protection of wild birds, the rare birds are spared disturbance and are more willing to come here.'