‘Internationally Protected Black-faced Spoonbill’ Flies to 1004 Island Sinan

Heading North to Breeding Grounds, Used as a Rest Stop Midway

The internationally protected species, the black-faced spoonbill, was observed around Amhaedo Island in Sinan County. (Photo by Sinan County)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Ki-woon] Jeonnam Sinan-gun (Governor Park Woo-ryang) announced on the 22nd that the internationally protected species, the Hooded Crane, was observed around Amhaedo Island.

The Hooded Crane is a winter migratory bird that breeds in Russia and China and winters in Suncheon Bay in Korea, the Yangtze River in China, and the Kyushu region in Japan.

It is classified as a Vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and is estimated to have a global population of about 11,000 individuals. In Korea, it is designated as a second-class endangered wild species and Natural Monument No. 228 for protection.

Most of the surviving population is known to winter in Izumi, Japan, and they migrate through Korea in spring and autumn to travel between breeding and wintering grounds. Since the late 1990s, a small number have started wintering in the Suncheon Bay wetlands, and recently about 2,700 individuals have been recorded.

A flock of Hooded Cranes, believed to be moving northward for breeding after wintering in Japan or Suncheon Bay, was observed for two weeks from late last month to mid-April, with about 100 individuals seen on Amhaedo Island in Sinan.

In particular, some of the Hooded Cranes observed on Amhaedo Island were confirmed to use the area as an important habitat by stopping over to feed in rice paddies and resting (roosting) on mudflats during their migration to breeding grounds.

Additionally, Amhaedo Island attracts large numbers of shorebirds and waterbirds, about 10,000 individuals, including critically endangered species such as the first-class endangered Oriental Stork, second-class endangered Black-faced Spoonbill, Black-headed Gull, and the Bar-tailed Godwit, for breeding and wintering.

Thus, the mudflats of Amhaedo Island have high species diversity, outstanding conservation value, and ecological excellence, and are on the verge of being registered as a World Natural Heritage site.

Park Woo-ryang, Governor of Sinan-gun, said, “The clean area of the Amhaedo mudflats in Sinan, rich in food for various migratory birds, is designated and managed as a biosphere reserve and an East Asia-Australasian Flyway site, and the number of migratory birds visiting here is increasing every year. We will continue to strive to conserve the diverse biological resources inhabiting Sinan and create stable habitats to do our best for the registration as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.”