Three rare bird species discovered in Tra O lagoon

Endangered individuals of spoonbills, crested geese, and black-tailed straight-billed storks were discovered in Tra O lagoon, Phu My district.

The rare bird species were discovered during a field survey in Tra O lagoon, Phu My district, Binh Dinh from December 6-9. This is an activity within the framework of the national independent project "Research, assessment of the current status of bird fauna and proposal of solutions for management and conservation of bird species in the coastal lagoon area of Central Vietnam".

5 spoonbills. Photo: Le Manh Hung — 5 spoonbills. Photo: *Le Manh Hung*

The survey recorded 5 individuals of the black-faced spoonbill (also known as the black-faced spoonbill, spoonbill) in the Tra O lagoon area. The spoonbill is a bird species endemic to East Asia and is currently classified as "endangered" (EN) on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Vietnam Red Book.

Spoon-billed storks breed in Japan, Korea, and North Korea and migrate to winter in Vietnam. The total population worldwide is only about 4,000-5,000 individuals. In Vietnam, this species usually winters in the Northeast region (Quang Ninh, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh), with an annual population of only 50-80 individuals. The appearance of 5 spoon-billed storks at Tra O lagoon is the first official record of this bird species wintering in the Central region of Vietnam.

A flock of black-tailed straight-billed storks on Tra O lagoon. Photo: Quynh Dao — A flock of black-tailed straight-billed storks on Tra O lagoon. Photo: *Quynh Dao*

Two other rare bird species were also discovered, the Crested Tsetse and the Black-tailed Straight-billed Sandpiper. Both are listed as “near threatened” on the IUCN Red List. The Crested Tsetse is a small bird, distinguished by a long, thin black crest on top of its head. This species is mainly distributed in the Northeast and North Central regions. The Black-tailed Straight-billed Sandpiper is characterized by a long, straight beak. This species mainly prefers coastal areas, tidal flats, and swamps.

Tra O lagoon (also known as Chau Truc lagoon, Bau Bang lagoon) is a natural lagoon located in the northeast of Phu My district, Binh Dinh province. Tra O lagoon has a very large area, about 13,000 hectares, a circumference of about 20 km, the surface of the lagoon is always full of water. This is a place with a high level of biodiversity in our country.

According to experts, the presence of spoonbills, crested geese and black-tailed storks shows that the Tra O lagoon area has a suitable habitat for waterfowl and is important in the conservation of wild birds, especially migratory and wintering birds.

Hoai Phuong

Source link