Three Chinese mergansers, or scaly-sided mergansers, were spotted joyfully frolicking in the lake in Gudoushan Provincial Nature Reserve, Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province recently.
(Photo: Lei Lei)
(Photo: Lei Lei)
Among them, there was one male and two females, marking the first recorded sighting of Chinese mergansers in the reserve and even in the entire Taishan City.
Listed as "Endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the Chinese merganser is under first-class state protection in China.
Characterized by gray, scaly patterns on their bodies with long, reddish-brown crown feathers, Chinese mergansers primarily breed in the northeastern region of China. During October each year, they migrate to the Yangtze River basin and southern regions for wintering.
(Photo provided to GDToday)
(Photo provided to GDToday)
"After three rounds of waiting and constantly moving, shuttling between two reservoirs, we finally managed to capture clear photos of the three Chinese mergansers," a staff member from the reserve said.
(Photo: Hu Lumei)
With their vigilant nature, Chinese mergansers quickly take flight or swim rapidly to find shelter upon the slightest disturbance.
According to Zhang Qiang, Deputy Director of the Guangdong Academy of Sciences' Institute of Animal Research, Chinese mergansers have been recorded wintering in various locations in Guangdong since 1965.
Chinese mergansers have extremely stringent requirements for their habitat, including pristine water conditions, abundant food sources, and lush shoreline forests. They are indicative species of the wetlands' ecological health.
(Photo: Hu Lumei)
This
rare waterfowl has been living on the planet for over 10 million
years, hence its nickname "a living fossil with wings". At
present, it is estimated that no more than 3,000 wild specimens of
this bird are left in the world.
Reporter | Bubble
Editor | Nan, Will, Monica, James
