A duck species that hails from the Eurasian arctic circle was spotted for the first time in Kaohsiung’s Cieding Wetlands (茄萣濕地), the city’s Public Works Bureau said in a news release on Wednesday.
Smews are migratory birds that mainly winter in the lands off the North Sea, the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago, but they are rarely seen in Taiwan, which lies well south of these habitats, the bureau said.
The smew sighting was reported by a birdwatcher surnamed Wu (吳), who photographed a specimen in the wild on Monday, it said.
Photo: CNA
Considered diving ducks, smews feed under the water and the color of their feathers vary by sex, it said, adding that males are white with black masks around the eyes and beak, while females are gray with chestnut-colored heads and necks.
Flocks of smews typically inhabit estuaries, lakes, ponds and other water environments, but those sighted in Taiwan seem to live singly and do not mix with other ducks, it said.
The ducks were spotted in Changhua County’s Dacheng Township (大城), Chiayi County’s Budai Township (布袋) and Yilan County’s Jhuan Borough (竹安).
The smew sighting came after the documented arrival of black-faced spoonbills and other migratory birds in Cieding this year, suggesting that the city government’s wetland conservation strategy is achieving success, it said.
Kaohsiung will redouble its efforts to make the jurisdiction a safe and welcoming environment for migratory birds, it said.
Tourists are urged to maintain silence, avoid doing anything that could scare or harm the birds, and cooperate with the government’s efforts to protect the city’s natural resources and keep the environment sustainable, it said.
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