Shanghai home to 518 wild bird varieties in record

Recorded wild bird varieties in Shanghai have reached 518, thanks to an improved ecosystem as well as great efforts and devotion of generations of bird researchers.

According to statistics from the 2022 Shanghai Wildlife Protection Awareness Month, Shanghai has a total of 518 wild birds, accounting for more than 35 percent of the entire bird varieties nationwide. Among them, 26 are national Level I protected animals, 92 are Level II; six are critically endangered species, eight threatened species and 25 venerable species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Located on the Yangtze River estuary, Shanghai is an important transit for migratory birds on their East Asia-Australia flyway. Its coastal beaches and wetlands are places where the birds are able to take rest and go through winter.

The city’s Chongming Dongtan nature reserve, part of the migratory bird sanctuaries along the coast of Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf of China (Phase II), is applying for World Natural Heritage status.

In the past 10 years Shanghai has built an additional 370,000 mu (24,666.7 hectares) of forest. Its forest coverage rate reached 19.42 percent in 2021 from 12.58 percent in 2011.

The city is also constructing more parks. By the end of 2021, it had 532 parks, 3.5 times the number of 2011. Through the protection and preservation of its key wetlands, the city’s current natural reserves, forest parks and wetland parks area have reached 114,805.79 hectares.

High-quality eco-spaces, including Shanghai Botanical Garden, Chenshan Botanical Garden, Binjiang Forest Park, Gongqing Forest Park and Century Park, have become important habitats for some bird species and places where some rare birds have set foot on.

Generations of bird researchers have also helped with thorough observations and recording of bird species in Shanghai.

“Shanghai has a stable bird observation team made up of hundreds of people. They regularly organize bird observation events. It also has thousands of shutterbugs with an eye for nature. The increasing number of such groups help more birds to be observed and recorded,” said Yao Li, chief of the Shanghai Wild Birds Association.