Learn More About the Birds of Taiwan
2021 Report for the citizen science project used to monitor the status and population trends of migratory waterbirds in Taiwan proper and its outlying islands. It was conducted between December 17, 2022 and January 8, 2023. During the survey, 818 participants recorded 376,722 individuals from 339 species in 171 sample circles.
2022 Report for the citizen science project used to monitor the status and population trends of migratory waterbirds in Taiwan proper and its outlying islands. It was conducted between December 18, 2021 and January 9, 2022. During the survey, 1,032 participants recorded 368,724 individuals from 325 species in 172 sample circle
2021 Report for the citizen science project used to monitor the status and population trends of migratory waterbirds in Taiwan proper and its outlying islands. It was conducted between December 19, 2020 and January 10, 2021. During the survey, 1,054 participants recorded 328,453 bird individuals from 337 species in 173 circle samples.
They say that if you don't know where you've come from, you won't know where you're going. In honor of the Taiwan Wild Bird Federation's 35th anniversary, we take a look at Taiwan's journey from relative ornithological obscurity to its current leadership in bird conservation and citizen science, together with the role that the TWBF and its partners have played over the years.
The Fairy Pitta (Pitta nympha) is a long-distance migratory land bird restricted to the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Known in Mandarin as the "eight-colored bird" (八色鳥), its extensive breeding range includes the Korean Peninsula, China, Japan, and Taiwan. Taiwan, however, is where much of the research on the species over the last 20 years has been conducted. This passerine also holds special significance in Taiwan among those involved in the country's environmental movement as it played an outsized role in Taiwan's modern conservation history. Yet for such a brightly colored bird, it still keeps its secrets well hidden. Even now, there is much that is not known about the species, which is considered "vulnerable" by the IUCN.
The Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor), whose global population has risen from a known 288 in 1990 to over 7,000 now, is one of Asia's great conservation successes. This endangered migratory waterbird endemic to East Asia has not just become iconic in countries along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, but has won over the hearts of enthusiasts and the public around the world. Its conservation success relied on the power of partnership and cooperation at both the local and international level. Taiwan, which sees over half the global wintering population and where it is affectionately known as “Hei-Pi” (since the “hei” and “pi” of its Chinese name sound like “happy”), made outsized contributions to that success. Here we look at that story.
The last time the Chinese Crested Tern (Thalasseus bernsteini ) had a confirmed record was off the coast of China's Shandong province in 1937. Since then, scientists and researchers alike had thought it had gone extinct, leading to its nickname, 'the mythical bird'. Yet in 2000, Taiwan's Matsu archipelago played host to an ornithological miracle—the rediscovery of the CCT after almost 70 years. Since then, Taiwanese conservationists and researchers have been fighting save the world's most critically endangered seabird from vanishing for good.
The SOTB 2020 Report is the first comprehensive assessment of the conservation status of Taiwan's birds, integrating data collected through long-term citizen science projects and scientific studies. It provides in-depth analysis of overall species population trends, the status of specific bird groups, current threats, and conservation strategies and actions.
2020 Report for the citizen science project used to monitor the status and population trends of migratory waterbirds in Taiwan proper and its outlying islands. It was conducted from December 21, 2019 to January 12, 2020. During the survey, 1,054 participants recorded 323,979 individuals from 350 species in 176 circle samples.
Have you heard of the Pheasant-tailed Jacana Conservation Park? Managed by TWBF partner group the Wild Bird Society of Tainan, it’s responsible for bringing the local population of jacanas from less than 50 in the 1990s to over 1741 now. Through a mixture of community engagement, education and outreach, and working with the government to promote green certifications and water chestnut cultivation, this documentary looks at just how they did it.
2019 Report for the citizen science project used to monitor the status and population trends of migratory waterbirds in Taiwan proper and its outlying islands. It was conducted from December 15, 2018 to January 7, 2019. During the survey, 1,365 participants recorded 312,948 individuals from 325 species in 179 circle samples.
Citizen science is a powerful mechanism for collecting the data used in assessing the status of bird populations. Pivotal to this effort is effective cooperation between scientists and local volunteers. Composed of government agencies, academic institutions, wild bird societies and local birdwatchers, the State of Taiwan's Birds Partnership (SOTBP) has successfully launched several citizen science projects since 2009.
Created by the TWBF, this is the second edition reference dedicated to discussing Taiwan's Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas.
Produced by the TWBF's Bird Record Committee, this annual publication is the most complete and accurate checklist of the birds of Taiwan and it's outlying islands.
Produced by the TWBF's Bird Record Committee, this annual publication is the most complete and accurate checklist of the birds of Taiwan and it's outlying islands.
Published by the Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute and the Forestry and Bature Conservation Agency, this report is the first National Red List compiled in accordance with the suggested criteria and guidelines laid out by the International Union for Conservation of nature to asses all of the bird species which occur in Taiwan.