Black-faced spoonbill sets record by returning to Taiwan 9 years straight

Taipei, Dec. 29 (CNA) A single black-faced spoonbill has broken Taiwan's record for the most documented visits by one of the migratory species after being found to have traveled to the nation for nine straight years, according to an official at Taijiang National Park Headquarters.

The bird, identified by its leg band as T69, is a female that has returned to Tainan annually every October since 2015, said headquarters' Conservation Research Section head Wang Chien-chih (王建智).

Speaking to CNA on Sunday, Wang said the bird habitually returns to Tainan's watery Annan District for the winter.

T69 is a unique specimen that stands out from other black-faced spoonbills, Wang added.

It has yellow markings around the rims of its eyes which is uncommon among "black-faced" spoonbills, he said.

The migratory bird's repeated presence has even resulted in avid bird watchers such as Wang dubbing it "Daughter of Tainan" and "Daughter of Taijiang," he noted.

T69 is considered old for her species, which is prone to fatal accidents while flying across large bodies of water on top of life-threatening illnesses and injuries, he said, making her visits all the more special.

T69 herself encountered such a near-death experience when she traveled to Taiwan in 2015, an incident which could explain the spoonbill's frequent returns, he added.

In that year, T69 was found in the wetlands in Tainan's Annan District with other birds from her bowl, their necks drooping, legs limp and wings listless, classic signs of botulism, which prompted Wang and other bird-loving peers to rescue them, Wang said.

T69 was among the six who were nursed back to health before being released back into the wild, he added, suggesting the rescue efforts as a possible reason why T69 may have developed a connection to Taiwan.

In his 15 years of service at the national park, Wang said he has watched T69 grow from a young chick to a senior spoonbill.

The black-faced spoonbill is an endangered species with only about 7,000 left around the world, Wang observed.

Of the 4,100 birds counted in Taiwan, 2,088 were spotted in Tainan, he said.

T69's return to the Tainan national park could also be due to the species' tendency to migrate together but later breaking off to select preferred locations, with the park effectively serving as T69's nest, Wang added.

In a press release, Taijiang National Park Headquarters said that T69's presence in the park could also be related to the headquarters' initiative to make the habitats within the park more friendly to the animals that reside in them.

The headquarters also revealed that it has been working with local fish farmers who operate around the watery national park to make their fish farms better suited for black-faced spoonbill visits.

The headquarters went on to add that while the initial phase of the project only saw the participation of three fish farmers converting 10.8 hectares into spoonbill-friendly fish farms, the initiative currently has 47 participating fish farmers who have made 248.57 hectares available to the birds.