Eight New Records of Birds Found in Xinjiang in 2011

In 2011, eight new records of birds were found in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, including Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis), White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica), Bar-tailed Treecreeper (Certhia himalayana), Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyana), Eastern Crowned Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus coronatus) and Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala). Half of them were recorded by bird-watchers and photography lovers.

The appearance of some birds is occasional in West China, such as the Glossy Ibis, which is small in population in China and was first recorded in the border regions of Kashi, indicating that the bird is probably from neighbor countries. It has also been an occasional event for the White-naped Crane, a species under national key protection and originally lives in Northeast China, to appear in western Xinjiang by intermixing among Common Cranes.

Observers, by means of improved field monitoring, are able to collect specimens through telescopes and telephoto cameras. A steady annual increase in the number of bird records can thus be expected. The recording of Bar-tailed Treecreeper (Certhia himalayana), for instance, has been a hard task due to the mystery of the species. Other species exhibit an obvious tendency of inhabitation expansion probably due to their migration route alterations triggered by global climate change.

The invasion of some specific exotic species into Xinjiang is completely related with anthropogenic factors. In recent years, some alien species bought from the market have been set free, contaminating local biological genetic diversity. The strong adaptability of certain species may go so far as to pose a threat on their counterparts native in Central Asia.

Emberiza spodocephala (Image by DING JinQing)

Grus vipio (Image by HUANG YaHui)

Certhia himalayana (Image by DING JinQing)

For further details of the research, please contact professor MA Ming:

E-mail: maming@ms.xjb.ac.cn