Chinese Merganser (Photo provided by interviewee)

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Red-headed gulls, a popular migratory species of bird, are leaving one after another, but bustling Chongqing has now been visited by “the giant panda among birds" -- the Chinese Merganser for wintering! The reporter of Chongqing Morning Post learned that they have appeared in the Qihe River, Xihu Town, Jiangjin District, and will soon come to the Yangtze River, Jialing River and other places in the urban area of Chongqing City.

Chinese Merganser to come to Chongqing every year for wintering

According to the background information, the Chinese Merganser is a rare species of birds distributed only in East Asia. It has become a National First-class Protected Animal as early as the 1980s and has been listed as an endangered species in the world in 2020. There are only 2400--4500 mature individuals in the world.

When it comes to the reasons why Chinese Merganser would come to Chongqing, we should start with the story eight years ago. According to Wei Qian, president of Chongqing Bird Watching Society, who has 15 years of bird watching experience, they recorded the Chinese Merganser for the first time in the Qihe tributary of Xihu Town, Jiangjin District in the winter of 2012. (Translated by Wang Junli, Fathom Language Limited)