Yichang unveils two new bird species

By Yan Wanqin

Yichang has recorded the first-ever local sightings of two new bird species – the Pin-tailed Snipe and the Common Chiffchaff – during the recently concluded 2025 autumn migratory bird survey.

Conducted by the Hubei Provincial Forestry Bureau, the survey established 120 monitoring sites across the province, including nine in Yichang, covering key habitats such as wetlands and river basins.

According to Xiong Mi, a technical expert at the Yichang Wildlife Conservation Station, a total of 3,429 birds across 81 species were documented in Yichang. The Pin-tailed Snipe was spotted in the Yichang Chinese Sturgeon Nature Reserve, while the Common Chiffchaff was recorded in the Yuan'an Juhe Wetland Park.
 

 

Professor Li Xiang of Huazhong Agricultural University highlighted the importance of these findings, noting that the Common Chiffchaff is rarely seen in Hubei. He added that identifying the Pin-tailed Snipe in the wild is particularly challenging, and the clear photographic evidence captured during the survey was crucial for verification.

The survey also recorded stable populations of several nationally protected birds. First-class protected species included the Chinese Merganser, Baer's Pochard, and Yellow-breasted Bunting, while second-class species included the Black Kite, Eurasian Skylark, Red-footed Falcon, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, and Greater Coucal.

Xiong said that the steady presence of these rare and protected birds reflects Yichang’s continued ecological progress. With ongoing conservation efforts and improving monitoring technology, he believes Yichang will become an even more welcoming habitat for migratory birds in the future.

Zheng Yan contributed to this story.