Bird Watching in Winter: Black-faced Spoonbills in Tainan
If you are a nature lover or love to go bird watching, this blog is totally for you.
Platalea minor, also called Black-faced Spoonbill for its spoon-like bill, is a rare bird that bird watching lovers all crave to see, classified as an endangered species. Because of its graceful posture, some people also call it the “Black-faced angel” or “Black-faced dancer”. Thanks to decades of conservation, the worldwide population has grown from only a few hundred in the late 1980s to more than 7,000 in recent international censuses, and they live mainly in East Asia. Every winter, from around October to April, roughly 60% of them fly to Taiwan to spend the winter. Yay! It’s time to go bird watching!
Most of them winter along the coast of Tainan, especially around Qigu and Sicao, inside Taijiang National Park. A protected area at the mouth of the Zengwen River gives them a safe place to rest and a steady source of food, and it is also where you can watch them. The Black-faced Spoonbill Ecological Exhibition Hall in Qigu has viewing platforms and telescopes, and the best months are from November to March, when the numbers peak. The birds rest during the day and feed at night, so bring binoculars and keep your distance. Please remember not to disturb them or damage the environment while bird watching. Let’s protect our “Black-faced angel” together!
You may like these articles:
Where can I find Hot Springs in Winter?
Guide to a Relaxing One-Day Trip in Jiaoshi, Yilan
Want a local guide for your birding trip? Find a guide on MyProGuide
Cover photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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