Endangered Japanese night heron spotted in Sai Kung enclave
An endangered bird that breeds in Japan has reappeared in Hong Kong after 26 years, prompting renewed calls from bird lovers for better protection of ecologically valuable countryside enclaves.
An endangered bird that breeds in Japan has reappeared in Hong Kong after 26 years, prompting renewed calls from bird lovers for better protection of ecologically valuable countryside enclaves.
The Japanese night heron was spotted at a Sai Kung enclave by two expatriate residents over several days in December, the Bird Watching Society said.
"There is no [bird] hunting in Hong Kong, and there are country parks," Yu Yat-tung, the society's research manager, said yesterday. "Hong Kong is a bird paradise."
Yu estimated the night heron stayed in Hong Kong for about a week. It spends its winters mainly in the warmer climes of the Philippines, and he said it might have stopped over en route.
Watch: Endangered Japanese Night Heron spotted in Hong Kong after 26 years
The Japanese night heron was classified as an endangered species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with fewer than 2,500 around the globe.
It is as precious as the black-faced spoonbill, which is found only in East Asia and, with an estimated world population of just 2,700, is similarly classified as endangered by the Swiss-based nature conservation body.
The night heron was last spotted locally in 1988, on the campus of Polytechnic University in Hung Hom.
The exact locations of its reappearances would be kept from the public in order to prevent people from flocking to the area, the society said.
Enclaves are private or government lands next to country parks and can be rezoned to allow for housing construction.
Woo Ming-chuan, the society's conservation officer, cited the presence of the night heron at the Sai Kung enclave as proof that such spaces were of high biological value and therefore deserved better protection by the government. "In recent years, there has been increasing development in enclaves, including the building of small houses," Woo said.
"We are afraid that, without proper regulations, Hong Kong will soon lose all natural habitats that fall outside country parks."
Jake Skinner, a Grade 12 international school pupil, was the first person this time to spot the night heron, on December 8. He had since sighted it a few more times.
"When I found the bird, I was out where I lived doing some macro photography," Jake, 17, said. "I was surprised. I was happy to have found it."
He alerted fellow Sai Kung resident Tina Eldridge, a veteran bird watcher. Eldridge also saw the bird and confirmed the species with reference to her bird books.
They then reported the case to the society.
