Rare velvet scoters spotted in east China city for first time

A rare species of scoters was spotted recently for the first time in Xiamen City, east China's Fujian Province.

The pair of velvet scoters marked the 418th new bird species ever recorded in Xiamen, updating the record of bird species spotted in the city. Listed as being vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), velvet scoters are winter migratory birds that generally find their mates in the journey of migration and are basically paired by the time they arrive at the breeding ground. The pair of scoters spotted in Xiamen is expected to be a couple that passes through during their migration.

"Velvet scoters mainly live in the sea. They are a kind of oceanic bird with most of time living in the sea and rarely coming to the land. They only come to the island for breeding," said Yu Ying, vice president of the Xiamen Bird Watching Society.

In addition, eight black-faced spoonbills, another rare migratory species, were also spotted in Xiang'an District of the city recently.

Black-faced spoonbills were internationally classified as an endangered species by the IUCN, the population of which in the 2021 census was recorded at 5,222 birds.

"The eight spoonbills spotted recently are estimated to make a short stay in Xiang'an to replenish their physical strength during their spring migration," said Yu.