A great migration in the sky

“No migratory bird flies in a straight line”

This seems nonsense.

But it reveals the cruel truth about bird migration

The road ahead is long and difficult

The migration path is long and tortuous.

The journey is full of life and death tests

(“Migratory birds” refer to birds that migrate back and forth between their breeding grounds and wintering grounds along relatively stable routes in spring and autumn. There are about 1,800 species of migratory birds in the world; the picture shows a young Mongolian sand plover Charadrius mongolus at Muztagh Atachoku, 4,800 meters above sea level on the Pamir Plateau, looking at the migration route it is about to embark on. Photographer @叶金)

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Not only that

From the moment of birth

Many migratory birds face a life-or-death decision

Or grow up in ruthlessness

Or die in hunger, cold and weakness

(The white-naped crane Antigone vipio breeds and raises chicks in southeastern Siberia, northeastern Mongolia and northeastern China from May to July every year, and migrates south to the wetlands of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Fujian, Taiwan and southern Japan to overwinter from October; the young birds in the picture have yellow feathers different from the adults. Photographer @孙华金)

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When you get over the pain of growing up

Leaves fall, flowers turn yellow, a chill in autumn

What followed was even more cruel.

Migration

(The Recurvirostra avosetta is distributed in temperate regions of Europe, West Asia and Central Asia. Most of them migrate to Africa or southern Asia in winter, and some stay in the warmest areas of their distribution areas in winter, such as southern Spain and southern England. In mainland China, it is mainly distributed in North China and South China. Photographer @孙华金)

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Billions of migratory birds around the world

Explore

Nine major international migration routes

Among them

East Asian-Australasian Flyway

West Asia-East Africa Migration Route

Western Pacific Flyway

Central Asian Migration Route

Transit through China

(Illustration of the world's major migratory bird routes, map by @陈志浩/Planet Research Institute)

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These four international migration routes

The domestic market has been reshuffled

Divided into

Three major domestic migration routes

East Line, Central Line, West Line

(Sketch of migratory bird routes in China, drawn by @陈志浩/Planet Research Institute)

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What are these three migration routes?

Why does it attract thousands of migratory birds year after year?

Migrating one after another at the risk of their lives?

Want to know these issues

Please follow the Planetary Research Institute

As migratory birds head south

check it out

01

East Line | Flat and Rich

Eastern Front

Mainly located in the eastern coastal areas of my country

The terrain is flat and the climate is mild

It is a great granary that benefits the world

(The large grain fields in Jinjiagou Village, Pingdu, Qingdao, which the East Line passes through. Photographer: @金志伟)

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Aquatic wetlands, reeds and reeds

Rivers, lakes, seas, banks, forests and shallows

This is the stunning scenery that the migratory birds on the eastern route dream about.

It is also the ideal place that makes them salivate.

(Please watch in horizontal mode; mangrove wetlands in the coastal area of ​​Hainan, photographer @谢墨)

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This is part of the East Asian-Australasian International Flyway

It is the most crowded of all migration routes.

Attracts more than 50 million migratory birds every year

Among them, there are 36 globally threatened bird species.

Almost all other migration routes combined

(Please watch in horizontal mode; a crowded flock of shorebirds in Donggang, Dandong, photographer @刘璐)

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Here the birds are singing

There are slender and fairy-like people

Migratory birds such as cranes, storks and herons

(Please look at the beautiful birds; from top to bottom they are the red-crowned crane Grus japonensis, the white crane Leucogeranus leucogeranus, the oriental white stork Ciconia boyciana, and the black-faced spoonbill Platalea minor. Photographers: Sun Huajin, Zhang Chunxiao, Zhu Runlu, and Sun Huajin)

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There are sturdy and cute ones

Migratory birds

(Please watch; from top to bottom are the Chinese merganser Mergus squamatus and the bean goose Anser fabalis, photographer @冯江, Visual China)

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There are also small and clever, large numbers of

Migratory shorebirds

(Please see the charm of snipes; from top to bottom: Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus, Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmaea, and a flock of snipes in Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao. Photographers: Yang Xudong, Xu Yongchun, Wang Ning)

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The northern home of the eastern migratory birds

Located in Northeast my country and Eastern North China

As well as foreign northern regions such as Russia and Mongolia

(The Siberian Crane is a representative migratory bird on the eastern route of my country. It is an internationally critically endangered species and a national first-class protected animal. The Siberian Crane is divided into three populations: eastern, central and western. More than 98% of the Siberian Cranes are in the eastern population, and the breeding ground of the eastern Siberian Crane is located in Russia. The picture shows the migration route of the eastern population of Siberian Cranes. Map by @陈志浩/星球研究院)

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Every autumn

Under the urging of environmental factors such as sunshine and temperature

Stimulated by hormones such as corticosterone and prolactin

Migratory birds begin to eat frantically

Accumulate fat and increase muscle

Some migratory birds can even double their weight before migration.

(A black-faced spoonbill caught a big fish in the Yellow Sea wetland in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, photographer @孙华金)

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After eating and drinking, we started heading south

Thanks to the flat and rich natural conditions

The eastern route is full of wetlands with lush water plants.

This is the importance of migratory birds

Resting place

(Three red-crowned cranes walk on the Red Beach in Panjin, Liaoning. The large area of ​​Suaeda glauca here turns red every autumn, which is very beautiful from a distance. Photographer @王煜)

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From North to South

Migratory birds from the east will pass by one by one

Zhalong, Momoge and other wetlands in Northeast China

As well as Panjin Red Beach and other coastal mudflats

Dafeng and other wetlands along the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea in East China

There are also mangrove wetlands in South China

(Please continue to watch the Red Beach in Panjin, Liaoning in horizontal mode, photographer @周昫光)

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Beautiful scenery, delicious food, reunion and farewell

The eastern route is very important for the newly born migratory birds.

Like a graduation trip full of expectations

But once you experience it, you will find

The reality is far from this

(Please watch in horizontal mode; a large flock of shorebirds on the beach in Yingkou, Liaoning, photographer @刘璐)

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To reach the destination as soon as possible

Migratory birds need

Working day and night

September 28, 2021

A bar-tailed godwit

Flying over 13,000 kilometers in 10 days

From Alaska to the east coast of Australia

Breaking the record for continuous flight of migratory birds

(Band-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica; the bar-tailed godwit in the picture has a bird band on its feet used by researchers to study its migration. Photographer: @王煜)

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Continuous flights for several days and nights

How do migratory birds sleep?

Their answers may be

Sleeping while flying

(Study of the great frigatebird Fregata minor on the Galapagos Islands found that they would take a short sleep of about 12 seconds while gliding. This sleep time adds up to a total of about 42 minutes a day, which is only 7.4% of their sleep time on land; the picture shows the great frigatebird, the female is on the left and the male is on the right, source @Visual China)

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Starving and flying all night

Migratory birds are undergoing extreme tests both physically and mentally

But it gets worse.

Due to the favorable natural conditions in these areas

It attracted a large number of people to settle here very early.

Therefore, the Eastern Line also gathers many large human urban areas

For example, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, etc.

(Dense cities in Guangdong Bay Area, photographer @陈肖)

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Human City

Huge impact on migratory birds

Many birds migrate at night or at dawn.

They need the light of the stars and the morning sun to find their way

The artificial light in the city seriously interferes with their migration.

Many migratory birds mistake the lights for the rays of dawn.

Hitting a building or vehicle

(Falco subbuteo against the neon background of the city, photographer @徐永春)

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Besides this

Rapid urban development has encroached on a large number of wetlands

Leaving migratory birds nowhere to rest

This is for the exhausted migratory birds.

It was like a bolt from the blue

(A group of red-crested ducks Tadorna ferruginea are flying over the huge cooling towers that are as big as a mountain. Photographer @邓国晖)

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Fortunately, people are gradually realizing

Stopover sites are of great significance to migratory birds

More and more people are beginning to protect migratory birds and pay attention to them

Migratory birds even in urban areas

I also began to find a little comfort

(A flock of birds in the city green space, photographer @徐江华)

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Eastern Front

Despite the crisis

Fortunately, it is flat and fertile here.

Migrant birds have plenty of supplies and many travel companions

In comparison, mid-line migratory birds are not so lucky.

The central region has a rising altitude, high mountains and deep valleys.

Without coastal mudflats, there are more dangers

02

Middle Line | High mountains and deep valleys

Midline

Mainly located in the central region of my country

The terrain here is undulating and divided between north and south

The grasslands are vast in the north, and the mountains are high and the valleys are deep in the south.

(The intersection of the Qinling Mountains and the Guanzhong Plain is also the north-south watershed of the migration center line, photographer @Sun Yan)

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It also belongs to the East Asian-Australasian International Flyway

Therefore, there are many overlaps in migratory bird species with the eastern route.

Seeing many familiar faces on the Eastern Front

Swans, egrets, cranes

Mandarin ducks, swan geese, bean geese

......

(Cygnus cygnus, migrating over the Tengger Desert, photographer @由美燕)

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Due to its close proximity to the East Line

Hidden deep in the mountains and valleys

The presence of the midline has always been low

It is also the most mysterious migration route.

It was not until recent years that people gradually understood

(The migration route of the whooper swan is extensive, involving three lines: east, middle and west. The migration route from Sanmenxia to Dongting Lake is a typical middle line, so the whooper swan is also a representative migratory bird of the middle line; the picture shows the migration route of the whooper swan, drawn by @陈志浩/星球研究院)

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The northern home of migratory birds

Located in the eastern and central grasslands of Inner Mongolia

Western North China and Shaanxi

(The Morigele River [Morigen River] on the lush grass and water of Hulunbuir Grassland in Inner Mongolia is a northern home for migratory birds on the central route. Photographer: Liu Zhaoming)

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Mid-line migratory birds

Forced out of their homeland by the cold current from the north, they headed south

They crossed the Yinshan Mountains and came to a riverside plain.

This is the only place in the Yellow River Basin where people can get rich.

Hetao Plain

(The Bird Island in Qingtongxia, Ningxia, located in the western part of the Hetao Plain, is a stopover for migratory birds along the central route. Photographer: @Lu Wen)

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Here the grass is lush and the land is fertile

It is an important agricultural area and food base for mankind.

The migratory birds on the central route continue to fly south after eating and drinking here.

In front is

Mountains running north-south, such as the Taihang Mountains and the Luliang Mountains

These north-south mountain ranges act as natural pathways for migration.

Strong winds are common in these channels.

Flying in the wind

It is the key to saving energy for migratory birds

(The highest peak of the Southern Taihang Mountains - Wangmang Ridge, photographer @何俊云)

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Migratory birds usually avoid the ocean

On the one hand, there is no resting place at sea for rest and replenishment.

On the other hand, the rising air currents on the sea surface are weaker than those on land.

Therefore, it is more difficult for land-based migratory birds to migrate at sea.

(Whooper swans flying in the wind in Inner Mongolia, photographer @徐永春)

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Migratory birds flying south on the central route

Soon we arrived at an important station.

Sanmenxia Yellow River Wetland

Nearly half of the country's whooper swans spend the winter here.

(There are nearly 6,000 whooper swans wintering in the Yellow River Wetlands in Sanmenxia, ​​which is the largest swan wintering ground in the country. Photographer: Qiu Huining)

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Although the swan has reached its destination

But other migratory birds have to continue to move south

There is no coastal wetland in front of them

Instead, it is the towering east-west mountains such as the Qinling Mountains and Daba Mountains.

If you want to move forward, you have to climb over mountains and cross ridges.

(The towering Qinling Mountains, source: Visual China)

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Although mountains are an obstacle that migratory birds cannot avoid,

But it can also become an important landmark for their migration

Migratory birds rely heavily on vision for navigation

Migrating in the daytime when the stars are invisible

Migratory birds use the sun and landmarks to orient themselves

If you encounter bad weather with low visibility,

They can also navigate using geomagnetic methods

(Through research on domestic pigeons, scientists have discovered that nerve cells that can sense magnetic fields are concentrated in the skin near their nostrils. Related research has revealed that geomagnetism helps birds with orientation to a certain extent; the picture shows a released dove of peace [domestic pigeon], source @Visual China)

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Use the mountain landmarks along the way to guide you

A large number of mid-range migratory birds migrate along fixed routes in the mountains every year.

Over time, it was discovered by the locals and called

Millennium Bird Trail

(A flock of birds migrating in the mountains, photographer @刘璐)

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Located at the junction of Hunan and Jiangxi

Suichuan Bird Trail

It is a well-known thousand-year-old bird path.

Various migratory birds, big and small, with long legs and short legs

Under the guidance of the nearly 2,000-meter-high mountain

Going south from here, thousands of years have passed

(Please watch in horizontal mode; after passing through Jinggang Mountain in Jiangxi Province, the migratory birds on the central route soon arrived at the Suichuan Bird Trail at the junction of Hunan and Jiangxi. Source: Visual China)

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Millennium Bird Trail

It is the only way for migration

It is also the road of no return for many migratory birds.

The mountains and valleys of the central region are full of dangers

There are various hidden

Migratory bird hunter

They wait for food to fall from the sky at a fixed time and place.

Like waiting for an annual feast

(The natural enemies of migratory birds include not only local natives, but also migratory birds of prey, which chase them all the way; the white-tailed harrier in the picture is a migratory bird of prey, photographer @徐永春)

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Migratory bird hunter

There are not only various predators

Of course, this includes humans

In the mountains along the central route

Hunters waiting on the bird trail

They set a trap

Setting up a series of gates of hell for migratory birds

(In Yiyang, Hunan, bird catchers set up bird nets in the mountains to catch migratory birds passing through. Photographer @李霖)

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The migratory birds of the middle line that escaped the gates of hell

Eventually it will overwinter in the Sichuan Basin and Central China.

(Wuhan's Fuhe Wetland is a wintering site for migratory birds on the central route. Photographer: Hu Jinhua)

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Compared to the flat and fertile eastern front

The midline is much more rugged and bumpy

There are high and dangerous mountains and dangerous traps here.

However, these are nothing compared to the Western Front.

Because the western route of migratory birds

It can only be described as "epic"

03

Western Front | A magnificent epic

The epic Western Front

Of course there are epic views.

Snow mountain valleys, plateau lakes

Gobi mudflats and desert oases

Every place is refreshing

(Please watch the beautiful western line; from top to bottom, it is Xinjiang Ulungur Lake, Xinjiang Ulungur River, the junction of Tibet's Selin Co and Yagen Co, and Qinghai's Yellow River source Xingxinghai. Photographers @李保民,初雯雯,马春林,陈小羊)

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Western Front Area

It is the intersection of many international migratory bird routes.

There is not only the East Asian-Australasian Flyway

There are also the West Asia-East Africa Migration Route and the Central Asia Migration Route

Therefore, there are many species of migratory birds here

There are black-necked cranes that are unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

(The black-necked crane Grus nigricollis is the only crane species in the world that grows and breeds on the plateau, and is also the latest crane species discovered in the world; Tibet is the world's largest wintering and breeding ground for black-necked cranes, with about 3/4 of the world's black-necked cranes. Photographer @王炳瑞)

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There are also "seagulls" that can live far away from the ocean

Red-billed gull and fishing gull

("Seagull" is often used as a general term for some species of the Laridae family in the order Charadriiformes, including the single species of seagull Larus canus; the picture shows the red-billed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus, one of the most common seagulls in Eurasia, photographer @吴玮)

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There are also frequent visitors on the three major migration routes

Various geese and ducks

(Please watch the Western Wild Geese and Ducks; the first picture is the Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus, the second picture is the Ruddy Shelduck, photographers @赵露君、吴玮)

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Even occasionally there are migratory birds that get lost.

For example, flamingos

(Please watch: Greater flamingos Phoenicopterus roseus [great flamingos] that got lost and appeared in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Shanxi and Jiangsu in my country. Picture 1 is a Greater flamingo in Jiangsu, and Picture 2 is a Greater flamingo in Shanxi. Photographers @徐永春,韩超)

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For migratory birds in the west

The scenery along the route is beautiful

But the route is what they really care about.

The northern home of migratory birds on the western route

Located in western Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Gansu

As well as highland meadows in Tibet and Qinghai

(The bar-headed goose is a world-famous star migratory bird that can cross the Himalayas and is a representative of the western migratory birds; the picture shows the migration route of the bar-headed goose, drawn by @陈志浩/星球研究院)

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The largest lake in my country

Qinghai Lake

It is the departure point for bar-headed geese and gulls.

It is also the destination of the whooper swan

About 70,000 migratory birds come and go at Qinghai Lake

This makes it one of the busiest migratory bird stations in my country.

(Qinghai Lake is an important transit station for migratory birds on the western route, photographer @王学勇)

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Migratory birds depart from Qinghai Lake and other places

Cross the Animaqing Mountain with an average altitude of more than 5,000 meters and head south

What they saw were the two largest freshwater lakes at the source of the Yellow River.

Zhaling Lake and Eling Lake

These two sister lakes provide abundant supplies for migratory birds on the western route.

(Eling Lake at the source of the Yellow River, photographer @陈小羊)

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Eat and drink, and continue on your way

The southward migration route of migratory birds from the west is always higher than the other.

Behind us, we have just climbed over the 5,000-meter-high Animaqing Mountain.

In front of us is the 5,000-meter-high Bayan Har Mountains.

The Tanggula Mountains ahead

The average altitude is close to 6000 meters

(Bar-headed geese in front of the Tanggula Mountains, photographer @彭建生)

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To carry out migration flight in such a high altitude and oxygen-deficient place

How do migratory birds on the western route do it?

The secret lies mainly in their

In the blood

The hemoglobin of migratory birds such as bar-headed geese has a strong affinity for oxygen

This allows it to combine with oxygen molecules more quickly

In this way

Despite the scarcity of oxygen in the environment

Their tissues can still get enough oxygen molecules

To meet the body's metabolic and heat production needs

(Yellow red-crested pochards often mingle among the migrating bar-headed geese. Photographer: @山风)

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After crossing the towering Tanggula Mountains

Entered Tibet

This place is known as the "Water Tower of Asia"

There are many rivers and lakes, big and small.

Nam Co and Selin Co

Yamdrok Lake, Yarlung Zangbo River

There are so many post stations that migratory birds are overwhelmed

(Ruddy shelduck migrating on the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, source: Visual China)

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Some migratory birds

After resupplying here

The ultimate challenge of this journey is coming.

Climbing the roof of the world

Himalayas

(The roof of the world - the Himalayas. The highest on the left is Mount Makalu, and the highest on the right is Mount Everest. Photographer: @行影不离)

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A few migratory birds such as bar-headed geese and demoiselle cranes

Can fly to an altitude of about 9,000 meters

This is almost the same level as a civil airliner.

(The Demoiselle Crane Grus virgo is the smallest of the 15 existing crane species in the world and one of the few migratory birds that can fly over the Himalayas. Photographer: Sun Huajin)

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In contrast

Migratory birds usually fly below 1,000 meters.

The migration altitude of small migratory birds does not exceed 300 meters.

(Comparison of flight altitudes of migratory birds, drawn by @龙雁玲/Planetary Research Institute)

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The cruelty of the Western Front was not only caused by nature

And human activities

Exposed high-voltage transmission lines along the West Line

A threat to large birds such as eagles

Wind turbines have become increasingly popular in recent years.

It has also become a huge killer of migratory birds passing through

(A group of swans Cygnus columbianus are flying over a huge wind turbine. Photographer: Liu Lu)

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Because the migration route is long and dangerous

Formation flying

Teamwork is more important

Large and medium-sized migratory birds usually line up in a V-shaped formation.

This is a technique to save energy.

Because behind the wing tip of the front bird

Each will form a wingtip vortex that rotates from the inside to the outside.

Migratory birds only need to choose the right location

You can enjoy continuous upward airflow

Just like hitchhiking

(Illustration of the principle of saving energy by using the vortex generated by the front bird's flight, drawn by @龙雁羽/Planetary Research Institute)

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Small migratory birds usually choose irregular "dense formations"

This is their way of avoiding predators.

By coordinating actions with the 7 companions around you

Small migratory birds can keep millions of birds together

And tumbled in the air in an orderly manner

It can confuse predators

(Please watch in horizontal mode; a dense flock of pink starlings Pastor roseus in Xinjiang, photographer @刘璐)

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certainly

Only a few migratory birds choose to challenge the Himalayas.

More western migratory birds follow the north-south route

Qionglai Mountain and Hengduan Mountain go south

(Qionglai Mountain in Sichuan and Gongga Mountain in the distance, photographer @曹铁)

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Finally arrived

Wintering in western Sichuan and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau

(Napahai, Dashanbao in Yunnan and Caohai in Guizhou are important wintering sites for migratory birds in the west. Photographer: @冯健男)

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Before next spring

They will spend the winter in these relatively warm areas.

Recharge your energy and grow stronger

(The red-crested pochard that came to Napahai with great difficulty is standing upside down in the water looking for food underwater. Photographer @李有才)

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When Spring Comes

When the North Home Again

Spring is here, flowers are blooming, and water plants are lush and green

Relatively few predators and parasites

It has become an ideal nursery.

So the migratory birds will migrate back to the north

Start a new life

(Qiqihar Zhalong Wetland with abundant water plants in spring and summer, photographer @宋新子)

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Migratory birds

In this way, the journey from north to south continues to this day.

It is like an eternal law of nature.

However, this is not the case

Change is happening all the time

04

Change | Protection

Migratory behavior of migratory birds

Now it's programmed into their genes

It becomes their innate instinct

It's the migration season for newborn migratory birds

Always involuntarily embark on the road of migration

Just like fate

(In Harris's experiment of exchanging eggs, he exchanged the eggs of Larus argentatus and Little Black-backed Gull. Subsequent follow-up studies found that the non-migratory Herring Gulls migrated to France and Spain with their adoptive parents, while the migratory Little Black-backed Gulls, although their adoptive parents stayed in the UK for the winter, still migrated to the wintering grounds on the European continent; the picture shows the Siberian Herring Gull Larus vegae, photographer @杨照夫)

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However, the migration routes of migratory birds

But they need to learn to master it

Migrant birds with more experience have better memories

The migration path will go better and further

(Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences found through studying migrating peregrine falcons that long-distance migrating peregrine falcons have better long-term memory than short-distance migrating peregrine falcons; the peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus in the picture is catching a prey, photographer @徐永春)

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About bird migration

origin

There are many versions of the hypothesis.

One of the most consistent views among them is that

Birds originated in tropical forests near the equator

Because the population size continues to expand

They need more space and more food.

So some birds migrate to the north in the summer where the glaciers have retreated.

And when the winter glaciers come, they return to the south

Over time, this behavior has evolved into

Migratory bird behavior

(Some people believe that the evolution of migratory bird behavior is closely related to environmental changes during the ice age; the picture shows the changes in the Earth's ice sheet since the Last Glacial Maximum. The details of the ice sheet range are for reference only. Map by @陈志浩/Planetary Research Institute)

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However

The evolution of migration behavior has not stopped

Evolution is still ongoing

Changes visible to the naked eye

In today's global warming

Increased frequency of extreme weather events

Sea level rise, extreme low and high temperatures, etc.

have a huge impact on bird migration.

(A seabird is flying alone over the melting Arctic sea ice, source: @Visual China)

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Since 1940

Reclamation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River

The number of lakes connected to the Yangtze River has been reduced from 102 to 2

That is, Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake

(Located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Hangzhou has a large area of ​​land reclaimed for Penaeus vannamei farming, source: Visual China)

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September 2020 in many places in the United States and Mexico

Extreme weather such as drought, wildfires, strong winds and cooling temperatures

This is likely to cause hundreds of thousands of migratory birds in the area

Death due to food shortage

(In September 2020, extreme drought, wildfires, strong winds and cooling weather in many parts of the United States and Mexico caused the death of 100,000 migratory birds. Source: Visual China)

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To adapt to the changing environment

Migratory birds have to change their migration strategies

Some of them

Changed the time

Black-throated Blue Warbler current migration time

It is about 5 days earlier than the average in the 1960s.

American robins arrived in Canada 12 days earlier than in 1994.

Compared with the 1940s

Whooping cranes arrive in Nebraska nearly 22 days early in spring

And they leave nearly 21 days later in the fall.

some

Deviated from the route

Over the past 20 years

China adds more than 100 new records for bird species

These are not newly discovered species.

They are lost individuals that have deviated from their original migration route.

For example, the flamingo in Xinjiang and Qinghai

White-necked stork in Shangri-La, Yunnan

Canada geese in the Beijing-Tianjin area

Some of these migratory birds are just passing by

Some have become regular visitors every year.

(In 2011, the first traces of the white-necked stork Ciconia episcopus were discovered in Napahai, Shangri-La, Yunnan. Photographer: @彭建生)

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some

The migration began

The canary is a resident bird in the Mediterranean region.

In the past few decades

Their distribution range extends to the Baltic region of continental Europe.

This bird is still a resident in the Mediterranean region.

But in the new distribution area

They have become a migratory bird.

Between the Mediterranean and the Baltic

(The canary, Serinus canaria, is native to the Canary Islands, Madinat, and Essuriz Island on the northwest coast of Africa. It is a caged ornamental bird with excellent plumage and singing. Source: Visual China)

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Some

Ended the migration

In Spain and Portugal

The white stork has always been a famous migratory bird in the area.

In the past, they would fly south to Africa every autumn to spend the winter.

However, after 1980, as the scale of human garbage dumps expanded

Some white storks found plenty of food for the winter at the garbage dump

So they gave up migrating.

Becoming a "resident bird" in a garbage dump

(White stork Ciconia ciconia in the garbage dump, the white stork is also known as the European white stork, which is the European relative of the Oriental white stork, source @Visual China)

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For migratory birds

There is nothing that must be insisted on and persisted

The insurmountable mountains do not need to be surmounted

The long distance can no longer be obsessed

Persistence in "The setting sun and the solitary wild goose fly together"

It seems to be just our wishful thinking

(“The setting sun and the solitary wild goose fly together”, photographer @刘璐)

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The eternal law

This is because the environment has been relatively stable for a long time.

Today, when the environment is changing rapidly

The persistence of migratory birds is no longer necessary

Protect migratory birds

On the surface, it is to preserve the stunning scenery of the Great Migration

In fact, it is to slow down the pace of environmental change

The ultimate goal is actually to protect human beings themselves

(Red-billed gulls and people wintering in Dianchi Lake, Kunming, photographer @Lu Wen)

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A 2015 study found

Compared to 45% of resident birds,

Only 9% of migratory birds are protected

to this end

The country takes action

64 internationally important wetlands have been established

29 nationally important wetlands

602 wetland nature reserves

1,693 wetland parks

At the same time, strengthen laws and regulations such as the Wildlife Protection Law

Severely punish illegal killing of wild animals

Relieve some concerns for migratory birds

(“Internationally Important Wetlands” refers to protected wetlands in the contracting parties that are listed in the “List of Internationally Important Wetlands” in accordance with the “Ramsar Convention”; the picture shows the Dongtan Bird Sanctuary on Chongming Island, Shanghai, photographer @阮俊杰)

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Civilian action begins

Bird watching competitions and other activities are emerging in various places

The public took this opportunity to see the beauty of migratory birds

Awareness of protecting migratory birds is also increasing significantly

(Birds and people in Xinghai Park, Dalian, Liaoning Province, photographer @白悦松)

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at the same time

Social enterprise organization staff

Building and reinforcing artificial bird nests at migratory bird stopovers

Providing thoughtful services for migratory birds

(A huge nest of an Oriental white stork is placed on a high-voltage iron tower somewhere in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province. Source: Visual China)

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The efforts seem to have paid off

Now in Asia's largest wintering ground for migratory birds

Poyang Lake

Over the past five years or so, wintering migratory birds

From more than 300,000 to more than 700,000

The migratory route of migratory birds is long and steep, but it cannot be changed by anyone.

But through our protection

The migration of migratory birds will be easier

The migration scenery can also be more shocking

(Swans and white cranes in Poyang Lake, photographer @张春晓)

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Review of the three major domestic migration routes

The East is flat and fertile

The middle line has high mountains and deep valleys

The Western Front is high and cold and magnificent

They have their own unique scenery and each has its own merits.

But what remains unchanged is that they are all full of dangers

(Two mallard ducks Anas platyrhynchos and a group of swans flying over the Tengger Desert, photographer @由美燕)

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Migratory birds

Not for the scenery, not for the danger

Still one after another

There is only one reason

'To survive'

Migration is the crystallization of the survival wisdom of generations of migratory birds

Persistence in life

Let this great migration of the sky not for scenery

It has become the most anticipated event on this planet.

Super Scenery

(Please watch in horizontal mode; the bird wave spectacle on the Yingkou coast in Liaoning, photographer @颜景龙)

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This article was created by

Written by | Zuokou

Picture | Daytime sleep

Design | Long Yanling

Map | Chen Zhihao

Internal Review | Quasimodo by the River, Ding Hao

Expert reviewers | Wu Heqi, Huang Mingpan, Li Sihan

Head Photographer: Yan Jinglong

Main references

[1] Wetland Department of State Forestry and Grassland Administration. List of Important Wetlands in China [EB/OL]. http://www.forestry.gov.cn/sdzg/4706/20210412/105443352610774.html, 2021-4-12.

[2] John MacArthur, Karen Phillips, and He Fen. A Field Guide to Birds of China[M]. Hunan Education Press, 2000.

[3] Zheng Guangmei. Ornithology. 2nd edition[M]. Beijing Normal University Press, 2012.

[4] China Wildlife Conservation Association. my country will host the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands for the first time [EB/OL]. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/XdvBWx9v7pXWEjxNAANDEw, 2021-11-10.

[5] EAAFP. What is a Flyway? [EB/OL]. https://www.eaaflyway.net/the-flyway/, 2018.

[6] Gu Z, Pan S, Lin Z, et al. Climate-driven flyway changes and memory-based long-distance migration. Nature 591, 259–264 (2021).

[7] Kirby JS, Stattersfield AJ, Butchart SHM, et al. (2008) Key conservation issues for migratory land- and waterbird species on the world's major flyways. Bird Conservation International 18: S49–S73.

[8] Lauren Leffer. These Mighty Shorebirds Keep Breaking Flight Records—And You Can Follow Along [EB/OL]. https://www.audubon.org/news/these-mighty-shorebirds-keep-breaking-flight-records-and-you-can-follow-along, 2021-10-8.

[9] Runge CA, Watson JEM, Butchart SHM, et al. (2015). Protected areas and global conservation of migratory birds. Science, 350(6265), 1255–1258.

[10] Rattenborg N, Voirin B, Cruz S, et al. Evidence that birds sleep in mid-flight. Nat Commun 7, 12468 (2016).

[11] Robert MZ, Aubrey SG. (2017). Glaciation as a migratory switch. Science Advances, 3(9), e1603133–.

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