Black-faced spoonbills could be removed from endangered animals list in 2 years: Hong Kong environmental group
- Global population of iconic migratory birds reaches all-time high of more than 6,000 for the first time
- Species of migratory waterbird, currently classified as endangered, plays important role in Hong Kong’s conservation efforts
One of Hong Kong’s most iconic migratory birds could be removed from a list of endangered animals in two years, following decades-long conservation efforts, an environmentalist group has said.
The global population of the black-faced spoonbill has reached an all-time high of more than 6,000 birds for the first time, growing from the fewer than 1,000 recorded 20 years ago.
In an international survey conducted between January 7 and 9, conservationists and ornithologists catalogued about 6,162 birds across East Asia, including Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.
The species of migratory waterbird, currently classified as endangered, plays an important role in Hong Kong’s conservation efforts, serving as an indicator of the healthiness of local wetlands.
The waterbird is also a mascot of the World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong, which restores and manages the internationally significant Mai Po nature reserve.
But the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS) attributed the wading bird’s robust growth in its population to Taiwan’s vast area of fish ponds that created important feeding grounds.