National Parks of Taiwan

The 2011 global black-faced spoonbill survey was carried out on January 22 and 23, with government organizations that care about black-faced spoonbills and private conservation groups carrying it out together. The results of the survey for the Greater Tainan area (including the Budai area in Chiayi County) was that there were 401 birds north of the Zengwen River (including the Budai area), 366 south of the Zengwen River, giving a total of 767. The global survey counted 2347 worldwide in 2010, with 1280 in Taiwan, and 1185 in the Greater Tainan area.

Taijiang National Park Headquarters said the number of birds counted in the Tainan area in the survey this year was down a little, probably because, when the survey was taken, the weather was cold and the spoonbills sought shelter beside fish ponds. The number of survey personnel was limited so all the likely feeding areas could not be covered and it is, therefore, likely that the number of birds spending the winter in Taiwan was greater than actually counted. It has also been suggested by the media and conservation groups that the numbers have fallen because of a reduction in food supply in the ecological reserves. Consequently, this year a research plan will be carried out to investigate factors affecting spoonbill feeding; a trial ecological farming plan will also be carried out in the western campus of National Tainan University in the hope of finding a way to stabilize the number of spoonbills spending the winter in Taiwan.