Rare! Flying thousands of miles to spend the winter in Taiwan, 27 rare cygnets gather in Yilan

Taiwan's cygnets, listed as rare and rare winter migratory birds, flew to Lanyang Xikou in Yilan County to gather in groups. 27 cygnets were surprised to see by birders. It may be the largest number of pictures captured in the country. However, today (11th), they flew to Sanxing, Yuanshan and other places in the county to roost and forage. After learning about the cygnets, birders joined the search for the birds, setting off a new wave of bird photography craze.

This group of cygnets was discovered yesterday at the mouth of Lanyang Xikou. There were originally 18 of them, and then 9 more flew in, for a total of 27. Some birders believe that this is a new record for the number of cygnets coming to Taiwan. The birdies who were on hand to take photos were reluctant to leave. When the battery of the camera ran out, they switched to their mobile phones to continue shooting, hoping to leave a precious record.

Yilan bird friend Cai Mudan rushed to Lanyang Xikou to take photos of the cygnets today. At around 9 a.m., the cygnets flew away in batches, and bird friends called their friends to look for the birds. People in the birding community jokingly say that Yilan has such beautiful mountains and rivers that even rare winter migratory birds fall in love with it.

Wang Guoyan, chairman of the Formosa Wild Bird Conservation Association, made an appeal. Cygnets have traveled thousands of kilometers and exhausted a lot of their physical strength. At this moment, they need a safe, calm and replenishing habitat. Please keep a proper distance when shooting, watch from a distance without disturbing them, and do not enter farmland or trample crops without permission. Slow down when driving or cycling past bird watching spots, reduce noise, and give these charming visitors a quiet space to rest.

Huang Shuting, secretary-general of the association, said that cygnets with pure white feathers can reach 120 to 150 centimeters in length. They are large white waterbirds and are currently classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They mainly breed in the tundra areas of northern Europe and extreme northern Asia. They migrate south in groups in winter. The southernmost of their main wintering areas are in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China, Japan and other places. Some individuals got lost and flew to Taiwan. There are sporadic records in Yilan, Chiayi, Changhua, Tainan, and Taitung.