Bird-Watching

This Scaly-Sided Merganser Visits Wuyuan This Time of The Year

January 15, 2025

This time of the year, from mid December to early April, about 40 Scaly-sided Mergansers can be spotted enjoying the water in a village 10 kilometers away from Wuyuan town center.

The Scaly-sided Merganser, also known as the Chinese Merganser, is a rare and endangered duck species found in East Asia. This migratory bird breeds in the north, during the winter, it migrates to areas in the south. With a mild winter and plenty of small fish in the river, some of these fascinating birds are happily spending their colder months in Wuyuan.

The adult males and females are very distinctive in their appearances. Males have striking plumage, with a black head that shines green in the light, a white body with black streaks, and a prominent scaly pattern on their flanks, which gives them their name. Females are more subdued, with a gray body, reddish-brown head, and a less conspicuous crest. Both males and females have thin and serrated bills, adapted for catching fish.

Endangered birds found home in Wuyuan

July 23, 2021

Wuyuan gets attention from bird lovers and photographers around the world for its varied and rare birds. People here are very conscious about protecting and preserving its environment and bird population, as a result, more than 300 bird speices find their home in Wuyuan.

The mysterious blue-crowned thrushes have a population of fewer than 250 individuals worldwide, its scientific name is Dryonastes courtoisi. This critically endangered species is found exclusively in China. As its name suggests, it has a blue crown on the top of its head. Its face is black while its back is covered in olive feathers. The chest and neck are golden yellows.

Rao Heyuan National Wetland Park

In Wuyuan, Blue-crowned Laughingthrushes are known to nest in a wood area between a tea plantation and the river. One of the species’ most important habitats is Rao Heyuan National Wetland Park. Inside the park, there is a science museum that dedicates to these unique birds. If you are a bird lover or a keen photographer, you should pay a visit to this park while in Wuyuan. Sometimes these birds would show themselves and you might be the really lucky one to catch a glimpse of these extremely rare creatures.

Find Rare Panda Birds in Wuyuan

May 19, 2021

The pied falconet, also known as the white-legged falconet, is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. The falconets found in Wuyun are mainly black and white with distinctive black shadows around their eyes just like a panda and they are small, fluffy, and adorable. Due to its appearance similar to a panda and its rarety, these birds are also known as panda birds by locals. Falconet prey is suitably small, ranging from butterflies, moths, and dragonflies, to lizards, cicadas, and even small birds.

The pied falconets mainly live in Asia. You can find these birds in Eastern China and Yunnan province, but Wuyuan is the place where panda birds consistently show themselves and has the most population. Specifically, Xiaoqi Village in Wuyuan is where you have the best chance to spot these rare and cute creatures.

Xiaoqi Village is located 45 km northeast of central Wuyuan. It is an ecologically well-preserved village with many types of old trees, among them are some huge ancient camphor trees, which the falconets build nest holes and use those bare branches as lookout points. There is a guest house, where most bird lovers and photographers stay and are treated to views of the pied falconets from its rooftop deck.

This Scaly-Sided Merganser Visits Wuyuan This Time of The Year

Endangered birds found home in Wuyuan

Rao Heyuan National Wetland Park

Find Rare Panda Birds in Wuyuan

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