News
Surveys of Waterbirds in Spring Migratory Period
May
The Biodiversity Institute under the State Academy of Sciences made surveys of waterbirds in major seasonal bird reserves and wetlands in the spring migratory period in 2021.
The field surveys were made in such major migratory bird (wetland) reserves as the Mundok and Kumya migratory bird reserves and the important areas of biodiversity in wetlands on the list of the DPRK’s wetlands, including the estuaries of the Namdae Stream and the Songchon River, from early March to late April this year.
More than 94 000 birds of over 120 species were observed, and over 80 species of which were about 92 000 waterbirds.
Over 63 000 waterbirds of over 70 species were discovered in the reserves and over 30 000 waterbirds of about 50 species in the wetlands.
Such globally-threatened species as storks, spoonbills, far eastern curlews, great knots, swan geese, old-squaws, horned grebes, hooded cranes and saunder’s gulls were observed in the survey areas.
Over 2 000 hooded cranes stayed in March and about 1 000 far eastern curlews in April in the Mundok Migratory Bird Reserve, and over 7 000 far eastern curlews and over 4 000 bar-tailed godwits were found in the Sindo Migratory Bird Reserve.
During the surveys, waterbirds, which accounts for over one percent of global or regional population, were discovered in the major migratory bird reserves and other wetlands.
A pair of red-crested pochards (Netta rufina), known to the world as a rare bird, were observed in the survey.
The Biodiversity Institute is vigorously proceeding with the plan for making field surveys of major habitats and reserves of migratory birds in May and June.
