Fewer black-faced spoonbills seen in Hong Kong
The endangered migratory birds appear to be moving away to warmer climates in Asia
The number of the endangered black-faced spoonbills in Hong Kong and Shenzhen has dropped for three consecutive years, although its global population is on the rise, a survey has found.
The study, conducted at 15 locations throughout Asia by the city's Bird Watching Society, recorded 2,725 of the rare migratory birds over three days in January.
This is the highest figure of the spoonbills recorded since the study began a decade ago.
The number of the large, white water birds has been increasing steadily since, from the initial 351 seen in 1993.
But society's volunteers also found that the number of spoonbills recorded in Deep Bay, between the city and neighbouring Shenzhen, had dropped more than 10 per cent to 351 this year from last year's 393. The figure was 411 in 2011.
While the reason behind the birds' decline in the two cities was unclear, society research manager Yu Yat-tung said it could be linked to warmer weather on the mainland as a result of climate change.
"The birds may have found places north to Hong Kong warm enough and chosen to stay there, nearer to their breeding grounds," Yu said.