Bird lovers, hurry and check this out: 6 rare black-faced spoonbills and Eurasian spoonbills spotted at Guandu

▲Six Eurasian spoonbills and one black-faced spoonbill arrive at Guandu Nature Park (Photo／Jiang Peizhi, provided by Taipei City Animal Protection Office)

Reported by Chen Rui-zhong／Comprehensive report

Good news for bird enthusiasts！ The Guandu Nature Park Administration announced that on the afternoon of November 21, six Eurasian spoonbills and one black-faced spoonbill were spotted in the park’s conservation core area — the highest number of Eurasian spoonbills ever recorded at Guandu Nature Park. The public is encouraged to seize the opportunity to go and observe them.

The Guandu Nature Park Administration stated that Eurasian spoonbills mainly breed in mid-latitude regions of Eurasia and are even the national bird of the Netherlands, one of their breeding grounds. During the winter, they migrate to areas such as East China, Southwestern Asia, Southern Europe, and North Africa. Currently, the Council of Agriculture under the Executive Yuan classifies them as a “rare and precious protected bird species.” Although small numbers are spotted annually, observing six of them at once in Guandu Nature Park is truly rare.

Eurasian spoonbills closely resemble the endangered black-faced spoonbills, but Eurasian spoonbills are larger in size, have yellow at the tip of their bills, and their black facial markings only extend to the front of the eyes — unlike black-faced spoonbills, where the black extends to the forehead and around the eyes. This is the most distinguishing feature between the two.

The Taipei City Animal Protection Office explained that bird activity at Guandu Nature Park has been thriving recently. In addition to the black and white spoonbills, there are also raptors such as the Eurasian sparrowhawk, peregrine falcon, and black-winged kite, with rare sightings of the short-eared owl as well. The ponds in the core area also host large numbers of ducks such as the little grebe and the northern shoveler.

The Taipei City Animal Protection Office also encourages the public to make use of the high-powered telescopes on the second floor of the park’s Nature Center or the outdoor bird-watching huts. Visitors are urged not to enter the conservation core area without permission.