The Reappearance of this 'Duck' is Rarer than Pandas – Only About 400 Individuals Worldwide
A blue-headed duck is resting in the clear Dashijihe River. Photo taken by Guo Geng.
Recently, globally critically endangered blue-headed ducks have appeared on the banks of Dashijihe River in Fangshan District, Beijing. This bird species only has about 400 individuals worldwide, rarer than giant pandas. It caused a sensation when it first visited Beijing's Dashijihe River and Nanhaizi last spring.
Blue-headed ducks are migratory birds, usually migrating from southern wintering grounds to northern breeding grounds in mid-March and starting to fly south in mid-October. It used to be one of China's common migratory birds, but with the destruction of habitats and human hunting, the population has declined sharply, and it has been listed as 'Critically Endangered' by the 'International Union for Conservation of Nature'.
When the blue-headed ducks first appeared in Beijing, some experts believed that it was due to the small river channel management and wetland planting of aquatic plants carried out by the city in recent years, which gradually expanded the wetland area and improved the water quality, and the aquatic plants flourished, providing a comfortable 'green home' for the rare birds to rest and forage.
After hearing the news that the blue-headed ducks had appeared in Beijing again, Guo Geng, a researcher at the Beijing Elk Ecological Experiment Center, rushed to the banks of Dashijihe River early in the morning. Sure enough, two blue-headed ducks 'flew' into his lens, sometimes diving into the water to pick up small fish and sometimes stirring up the waves to groom their feathers. As a science popularizer, Guo Geng speculated that the blue-headed ducks were in transit while flying north. 'This bird species has very high environmental requirements, likes natural wetlands, and Beijing's natural environment is gradually improving, which is an ideal 'gas station'.
In one morning, 'flew' into Guo Geng's lens were also bone-crowned chicken and Far East mountain sparrow. It is reported that since 2017, Fangshan has attracted hundreds of bird species, including swans, egrets, black storks, Burmese crow sparrows, and mountain sparrows.
Source: Beijing Daily Image Client
