TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A black-faced spoonbill tagged T69 with a distinctive yellow face was spotted returning to Tainan’s Taijiang River this year, setting a record ninth consecutive year the migratory bird has returned to Taiwan.
T69 is notable because the bird was rescued from poisoning in Tainan and continues to return to the same location each winter. One bird lover who participated in the bird’s rescue, Wang Chien-chih (王建智), said T69 has grown from a juvenile into an adult bird raising chicks, per CNA.
Wang said that seeing the bird return to Taiwan every year is like visiting an old friend.
Wang, who works at Taijiang National Park Headquarters, said T69, along with a group of black-faced spoonbills, were spotted appearing with drooping necks, weak wings, and soft limbs in a fish pond in Tainan’s Annan District in 2015. Upon hearing the news, he rushed to the scene along with members of Tainan Wild Bird Society, who brought the birds in for veterinary care.
In the end, six black-faced spoonbills recovered and were released to the same area. In the interim, small fish were released to assist with their feeding.
Wang remembered that one of the female birds released had a leg ring with the number T69. This bird would regularly return to the same fish farm in Tainan to roost every October and travel to Taijiang National Park to forage.
Wang said T69 is distinctive due to the yellow color around its eyes, which is different from the "black face" of typical black-faced spoonbills. "There are very few black-faced spoonbills that are so loyal," said Wang.
Wang said it is common for wild birds to encounter natural disasters or succumb to injury or sickness. T69 is considered to have lived a long life.
The black-faced spoonbill is an endangered bird species with a global population of only 7,000 in the wild, with 4,100 recorded in Taiwan, including 2,088 in Tainan. After the birds find a good habitat, they usually split into smaller groups to spread the risk of illness or disaster.
T69’s continual return to the area near Taijiang National Park is peculiar. Wang believes the bird’s return to the same habitat is like a protector returning to the Taijiang River, an indicator of a healthy ecosystem.
In recent years, Taijiang National Park Management Office has cooperated with local fish farmers to protect the habitat for foraging species such as black-faced spoonbills. At the outset, only three farmers participated in the project covering 10.8 hectares.
The program has expanded to 47 farmers and 248.57 hectares of fish farms, ensuring this endangered bird species will always be welcomed in Tainan.
