Number of black-faced spoonbills in Taiwan falls for the first time

Taipei, April 25 (CNA) The number of black-faced spoonbills wintering in Taiwan fell for the first time this year to 4,135, but the country still has the largest population of the endangered waterbird, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said Thursday.

Citing an annual survey organized by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, the agency said Taiwan recorded 93 fewer black-faced spoonbills than in 2023, although the waterbird population in Taiwan still accounted for 59.2 percent of the global population.

According to the agency, more than 90 percent of wintering black-faced spoonbills in Taiwan were recorded in the southwestern part of the island, with 2,088 in Tainan.

The agency added that the Jhuoshuei River area in Yunlin saw 94 more birds this year and Pingtung an additional 105, indicating that the waterbirds have moved north and south from their usual core area of ​​Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi, which all saw fewer birds this year .

Speaking about the changes in Taiwan’s black-faced spoonbill population, Taiwan Wild Bird Federation Secretary-General Allen Lyu (呂翊維) pointed out that the key to conservation is habitat.

He gave the example of some fish farms in Tainan’s Cigu District that have been transformed into fishery and electricity symbiosis sites, saying that the continuous development of various land uses has shrunk habitats, causing black-faced spoonbills to shift their foraging area, which has caused changes in the number of birds documented.

Lyu added that changes in temperature that alter the habitat have also played a part, referring to the increase in numbers of black-faced spoonbills poisoned by Clostridium botulinum.

From September 2023 to April 2024, 86 birds were rescued, mostly suffering from Clostridium botulinum poisoning, double the same period in the previous year, he said.

According to the agency, Clostridium botulinum is a type of bacteria that exists in the environment but normally does not grow in large quantities, other than where continuously high temperatures lead to a lack of oxygen in water causing fish to die which are then consumed by the birds.

Lyu called on people to report sightings of injured black-faced spoonbills to the local conservation authorities for early detection and treatment.

Meanwhile, the number of black-faced spoonbills around the globe reached a record 6,988 in 2024, 355 more than last year, according to the survey which was conducted from Jan. 20-21.

In addition to Taiwan, China and Japan made up the top three locations where black-faced spoonbills were spotted, with 1,630 (23.3 percent) and 702 (10.1 percent) respectively, the survey showed.