Bird watchers yesterday warned the indigenous Taiwan Hwamei (Leucodioptron taewanum) may face extinction if the threat of cross-breeding with the Chinese variety is not controlled soon.
“Because of the reckless abandonment of pet Chinese Hwamei’s into the wild, the wild Taiwan Hwamei population is currently being impacted greatly,” Lin Hui-shan (林惠珊) of the Chinese Wild Bird Federation told the Taipei Times yesterday.
The Hwamei is mostly brown with a scattering of black feathers on its head, back and breast, and measures about 24cm long.
PHOTO: CNA
The Taiwan Hwamei was once thought to be a sub-species of the Chinese Hwamei, but in 2006 the Council of Agriculture’s (COA) Endemic Species Research Institute, via a gene analysis, found that the Taiwanese birds are endemic to the island as they are at least 3.5 percent genetically different from their Chinese counterparts, meaning that the two have evolved independently for about 1.5 million years.
The Chinese Hwamei derives its name from its most distinctive character — a white ring around its eyes. Hwamei means “drawn eyebrows (畫眉)” in Mandarin.
Lin added that Chinese Hwamei have traditionally been imported as pets because of their pleasant vocalizations. Though the COA banned the sale of Hwameis in 2002, crossbreeds of the Taiwanese and Chinese birds are being increasingly spotted in the wild, she said.
“The Taiwan Hwamei is unique to Taiwan. If the crossbreeding continues, not only will we one day cease to see Taiwan Hwamei’s, the world may lose this species from its ecosystem,” she said.
Lin called on people who own imported birds as pets to refrain from releasing them into the wild and take measures to prevent them from escaping.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS