Rare Oriental darter spotted in Hainan for first time

Conservationists and birdwatchers are celebrating the first recorded sighting of an Oriental darter in China's tropical Hainan province, a major milestone for regional biodiversity.

The bird was discovered earlier this month at the Haiwei National Wetland Park in Changjiang Li autonomous county. Xue Meili, deputy director of the park's management center, spotted the rare species during a routine patrol and alerted the Hainan Bird-Watching Record Committee. Experts later confirmed it as the province's first official sighting.

"I was conducting routine monitoring on July 11 when I saw it," Xue said. "It was completely unexpected."

The Oriental darter is a sleek, long-necked waterbird resembling a cormorant. It primarily hunts fish but also preys on insects, amphibians, and aquatic reptiles. Classified as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the species is seldom seen in China. It typically inhabits freshwater lakes or rivers and occasionally ventures into mangrove swamps and coastal estuaries.

Changjiang Haiwei Wetland Park is a biodiversity hotspot with 213 documented bird species, including three under top-tier national protection and 39 under secondary protection.

"The darter's presence confirms our park's stable, high-quality ecosystem," Xue said. "We'll enhance monitoring to protect endangered wildlife."

The discovery expands Hainan's avian records and underscores the success of ongoing wetland restoration efforts.