The rare migratory hoopoe bird (Upupa epops) has been seen for the first time in Taroko National Park, close to the park’s visitors’ center. A conservation officer at the center says that the hoopoe is a common resident bird on Kinmen Island, and that it has been selected as the mascot on the island’s tourists buses. The fact that it has been seen and recorded in Taroko National Park is a significant event that has caused a sensation.
The conservation office at the Taroko National Park Headquarters says that a hoopoe has been seen for several consecutive days nearby the park’s visitors’ center, and that this is the first time that it has been seen in the park. Conservationists are pleasantly surprised, and apart from the bird attracting a lot of attention, they have also contacted the Kinmen National Park headquarters in the hope that it might benefit academic research.
The hoopoe belongs to the Upupidae family, which, in terms of animal taxonomy, belongs in the Coraciiformes order. There are only two birds in the genus, the hoopoe and the Saint Helena hoopoe (Upupa antaios), also known as the Saint Helena giant hoopoe or giant hoopoe. Their main habitats are in Europe, Asia and northern Africa. The bird also has a wide presence in China, but in Taiwan it is a rare migratory bird that nests in coastal wetlands.
Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者游太郎
The conservation office said that people in Kinmen call the hoopoe the “grave bird” because they often nest close to graves and are often seen in graveyards. Kinmen residents believe that the bird brings bad fortune, but as conservation awareness has increased in recent years, the hoopoe has come to be seen as a local symbol, and since it is a beautiful bird, it has been selected as the mascot for Kinmen’s tourist buses.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Perry Svensson)
在台灣屬於稀有過境鳥的「戴勝」，首次在太魯閣國家公園區內遊客中心附近出現，太管處保育人員表示，「戴勝」是金門地區常見的留鳥，獲選為金門觀光公車的吉祥物，在太魯閣園區內被觀察和記錄到，不但引起重視也造成轟動。
太管處保育課指出，連日來在遊客中心附近出現一隻「戴勝」，這是首次在太魯閣國家公園區內的觀察和記錄，讓保育人員相當驚喜，除引起重視外，也和金管處連繫，希望有助於學術研究。
「戴勝」為戴勝科，在動物分類學上是鳥綱佛法僧目中的一個科，只有一屬兩種，即「戴勝」與「大戴勝」，主要分布在歐洲、亞洲和北非地區，在中國廣泛分布，在台灣屬於稀有的過境鳥，棲息於海岸溼地區。
保育課說，金門人稱「戴勝」為墓坑鳥，因牠們常棲息或營巢於破墓穴（閩南語墓穴音為幕坑）為名，也因牠們常在墳地出入，金門人認為是一種不吉祥的鳥類，但近年來保育意識抬頭，「戴勝」在金門被視為代表性的鄉土鳥種之一，且因為外型美麗，因此獲選為金門觀光公車的吉祥物。
（自由時報記者游太郎）
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