China News Service, Harbin, March 23 (Reporter Wang Nina) The first batch of Oriental white storks flew back to Honghe National Nature Reserve in Heilongjiang Province. Zhu Baoguang, chief of the Scientific Research and Education Section of the National Reserve Administration, said on the 23rd that the Oriental White Stork returned to the Sanjiang Plain this year about a week earlier than in previous years.
Heilongjiang Honghe National Nature Reserve is located on the East Asia-Australia migratory bird flyway. It is known as the "Hometown of China's Oriental White Stork" and is one of the two major breeding areas for the internationally endangered Oriental White Stork in the world. Hundreds of thousands of migratory birds stop here every spring and autumn. Around mid-March this year, tens of thousands of migratory birds returned to the reserve.
Recently, the first batch of Oriental white storks flew back to Honghe National Nature Reserve in Heilongjiang Province. Photo by Tian Ruixue
"In early March, we carried out spring migratory bird monitoring and evaluated the arrival time of Oriental White Storks in the reserve this year based on satellite tracking platform data. Through field monitoring in the past few days, we have found that 10 pairs of Oriental White Storks have arrived in the reserve to nest. It is estimated that there will be more than 100 pairs of Oriental white storks breeding in the reserve this year," Zhu Baoguang said.
Since 1993, the reserve has gradually explored the artificial nesting and recruitment of Oriental white storks, resulting in an increase in the breeding number of Oriental white storks year by year. This year, 51 artificial nests were built, bringing the total number to 235.
"Last year, the reserve attracted 99 pairs of Oriental white storks and bred 196 chicks here, which was the largest breeding number since the establishment of the reserve. The recruitment work over the years has also proven that artificial nesting and other intervention methods It is very effective in restoring the population of Oriental White Storks in the world." Zhu Baoguang said, "Currently, the breeding population density of Oriental White Storks in the reserve is the highest in the world."
It is reported that as of the end of 2023, 741 pairs of Oriental white storks have been attracted to the local area and 2,193 young birds have been successfully bred here, accounting for a quarter of the global number of Oriental white storks, which has restored the Oriental white stork population from less than 3,000 in the world to the present. There are about 9,000 of them. (over)