"Yes, it's indeed the Chinese blue flycatcher, the 416th species recorded by the Shenzhen Bird Watching Society!" After seeing the photos, Zhang Gaofeng, vice president of the society, said with absolute certainty.
(Photo: Old Carp, Futian Mangrove Ecological Park)
This photo was taken by a bird-watcher nicknamed "Old Carp" in Shenzhen's Futian Mangrove Ecological Park on November 30. After identification by many bird experts, the bird in the photo was confirmed as the first Chinese blue flycatcher to appear in Shenzhen.
(Photo: Old Carp, Futian Mangrove Ecological Park)
"I was observing birds in a small wood of the Futian Ecological Park. Suddenly I heard a special fast-paced birdsong, a bird flew up to the branch after about 5 minutes. I didn't expect it to be a new bird species at the time. I just photographed it as usual," Old Carp recalled.
Back home, Old Carp carefully searched relevant materials and deduced this little creature was likely to be a Chinese blue flycatcher. "I have seen many photos of this bird on the Internet before. It is very similar to the brown-bellied blue flycatcher and other species of flycatchers. They all have a blue back and a brown throat. But the throat of Chinese blue flycatcher is brown-yellow. Later, I sent the photo to bird experts and finally confirmed its identity."
According to Zhang Gaofeng, Chinese blue flycatcher is a kind of bird separate from the blue-throated flycatcher subspecies in recent years. It is mainly distributed in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, up to 2,000 meters above sea level. When the temperature drops, the bird will migrate to central and southern China. It used to be recorded in Guangzhou and Hong Kong occasionally.
Bird lovers have captured different species of birds in Shenzhen this year. In addition to Chinese blue flycatcher, six more species, such as tiger shrike, manchurian reed warbler, and pechora pipit, have also been recorded in Shenzhen for the first time.
Author: Ariel
Editor: Wing, Steven, Monica, Will, Jerry
