202504/11
According to the recently released 2025 International Black-faced Spoonbill Census, the global population has reached a record 7,081 individuals, exceeding the 7,000 mark for the first time. Taiwan remains the largest wintering site for black-faced spoonbills (Platalea minor), with a total of 4,169 individuals surveyed, a slight increase of 34 from last year. Over the past three years, the population growth of black-faced spoonbills in Taiwan has shown a slowing trend. Given the limited natural habitats, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) has continued its cooperation with county and city governments in encouraging fishermen to participate in the Payments for Ecosystem Services program in the form of “ecological salaries.” After fish farms and other production-type habitats are harvested, they can serve as safe foraging areas for black-faced spoonbills and other migratory birds. This initiative takes into account the livelihoods of fishermen and aims to expand the habitat of black-faced spoonbills, creating a win-win situation.
The International Black-faced Spoonbill Census is conducted regularly by various countries in January every year, with the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society acting as the point of contact. This year’s census was conducted from January 18 to 19. The Taiwan census was commissioned by the FANCA to the Chinese Wild Bird Federation, which was responsible for organization and coordination tasks. The census was completed in collaboration with more than 100 investigators from bird clubs and conservation groups across Taiwan. A total of 7,081 black-faced spoonbills were recorded in this global census, setting a record high. Among them, 4,169 individuals were recorded in Taiwan, accounting for 58.9% of the global total, firmly cementing Taiwan’s place as the most important wintering habitat. Other major wintering areas included: 1,671 in China (23.6%), 716 in Japan (10.1%), 328 in Hong Kong and Shenzhen (Houhai Bay) (4.6%), 112 in Vietnam (1.6%), 52 in South Korea (0.7%), 17 in the Philippines (0.2%) and 16 in Macau (0.2%). Compared with last year, the number of individuals in major wintering areas worldwide showed only a slight change, with an overall increase of just 93 individuals. This indicates a clear slowdown in the global population's growth trend. Although Taiwan saw an additional 34 individuals, the total number did not exceed the 2023 record of 4,288, and the population trend has remained flat over the past three years.
In Taiwan, more than 90% of the wintering populations of black-faced spoonbills are concentrated in the southwestern coastal areas. The numbers of Black-faced spoonbills by county and city, listed in descending order, are as follows: a total of 11 counties and cities recorded sightings, including 2,439 in Tainan City, 701 in Chiayi County, 408 in Kaohsiung City, 255 at the mouth of the Zhuoshui River (the border between Changhua and Yunlin), 202 in Yunlin County, 75 in Pingtung County, 36 in Yilan County, 23 in Kinmen County, 15 in Penghu County, 13 in Changhua County, 1 in Taipei City, and 1 in Taitung County. Although the total number of black-faced spoonbills in Taiwan has not changed much in recent years, the population at each location has fluctuated significantly. This may reflect that black-faced spoonbills move around according to foraging conditions, while different environmental conditions during the annual census have also caused the observed distribution to change accordingly. It is worth noting that Changhua County and Penghu County, where black-faced spoonbills were rarely recorded wintering in the past, have shown stable records over the past three years. This indicates that the birds’ wintering sites in Taiwan are showing a trend of continuous expansion.
In view of the fact that the wintering population of black-faced spoonbills in Taiwan may face the issue of habitat saturation, the FANCA began implementing the Payments for Ecosystem Services for Endangered Species and Critical Habitat Promotion program as early as 2021, and included “land-based fish farms” in the payment items. To qualify for these payments, farmers must, after harvesting their fish farms, maintain a water level below 20 cm for at least one consecutive month between October and April of the following year, benefiting specific bird species. For each hectare, farmers are eligible to receive a maximum of NT$10,000 per year. In 2024, eco-friendly fish farms in Tainan City covered 181 hectares, demonstrating and encouraging a practice where fishermen provide a bird-friendly water foraging environment in addition to their regular fish harvest. The FANCA said that this year’s survey results showed that the number of black-faced spoonbills has slightly rebounded, but they still face challenges such as habitat loss and disease. The FANCA called on more fishermen to join the Payments for Ecosystem Services program to jointly maintain these hard-earned conservation results and provide migratory birds with a friendly foraging environment when they winter in Taiwan.