Rare bird spotted for second time in Hainan county

A glossy ibis, a bird listed as a national first-class protected wildlife species, was spotted this week in the Haiwei National Wetland Park in Changjiang Li autonomous county, Hainan province. This marks the second recorded sighting of the rare bird in the county since April of last year.

"It was incredibly exciting! I stood in the same spot for five hours that day, just watching it," said Xue Meili, deputy director of the park's management center, who recorded the sighting. The observed bird was a sub-adult. "Although there was only one, it was still a rare find. I went back and waited for it the entire next day and will continue to monitor the area during this period."

The glossy ibis is known for its long, curved bill and preference for shallow wetlands. Its feathers can exhibit a metallic, copper-green sheen in good light. Once considered extinct in China during the 20th century, the species was elevated from national second-class to first-class protected status, the highest level of protection, in the 2021 edition of China's National List of Protected Wildlife. A record 13 glossy ibises were documented in the park in April 2024, the highest number ever recorded in Hainan.

Xue said the wetland park is dedicated to long-term ecological protection and restoration, carrying out environmental education and public awareness campaigns to create favorable habitats for numerous rare species. As the current season coincides with the migration of birds flying south for the winter, the park's management center is collaborating with public security departments on a special operation to protect migrating birds.

In a separate sighting, an Eurasian hobby, a nationally protected second-class wildlife species, was observed in the park in late October. This was the first recorded sighting of the bird species in Changjiang, adding another entry to the park's bird inventory. To date, 214 bird species have been recorded in the Haiwei National Wetland Park, including three classified as national first-class protected species and 40 as national second-class protected species