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Major Sponsors



Wild Bird
Federation Taiwan

Council of
Agriculture, Taiwan

Changhua
Wild Bird Society


CPC Corporation, Taiwan
Birds in Taiwan
Birding in Chung Yo
Birding in
Matsu
Birding in the Southwest Coast of Taiwan
Birding in Blue Gate
Birding in Taipinshan
Government
Information Office, Taiwan
Taipei Economic & Cultural Office, San Francisco
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Taiwan is a safe country, with good infrastructure, a strong
conservation movement, classic mountain scenery, friendly
people, wonderful food, and much to offer visitors.
Come with us to enjoy the birds and culture of Taiwan!
More Bird Tours Info
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Scheduled Tours
Taiwan
Island Endemics, July 10–16; and Matsu Archipelago
for Chinese Crested Tern, July 17–18, 2010
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What's New
Bookmark this
site to find the latest news on birding in Taiwan, our bird tours
and more.
Taiwan
Island Endemics, July 10–16; and Matsu Archipelago
for Chinese Crested Tern, July 17–18, 2010
International
Taiwan Birding Association Meeting
Members of the Canadian branch of the International Taiwan Birding
Association met in Vancouver, British Columbia, in mid-October,
2009. Special activities were organized by ITBA president, Simon
Liao.
Birding Stories - Alan Brown on Birding in Taiwan
ITBA Goes to the 2009 British
Birdwatching Fair
The International
Taiwan Birding Association will again represent Taiwan at the
British Birdwatching Fair, 21–21 August, to be held in
the
Egleton Nature Reserve, Rutland Water, Oakham, Rutland,
Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. ITBA can be found in Marquee 1,
Stand #54. A highlight this year will be a Taiwan Bird Knowledge
quiz. There will be 10 written questions to test your knowledge
of Taiwan birds, with some additional questions in case of a tie.
The champion will win a free air ticket to Taiwan, courtesy of
EVA Air.
Visit the ITBA stand at the Fair!
Bird Species and Subspecies
Endemic to Taiwan
The recognition of bird species and subspecies endemic to Taiwan
is ongoing. At present (July 2009), The Clements Checklist of
Birds of the World, James F. Clements, with updates to January
2007, recognizes 15 endemic species and 65 endemic subspecies.
Liao Pen Shing Gallery
Updated
Taiwan’s
Biodiversity
Sponsored by the
Council of Agriculture and the National Science Council, a
seven-year investigation was carried out by Academia Sinica’s
Biodiversity Research Center. It is the first official record of
Taiwan’s species under the National Biodiversity Research
Promotion Project. Taiwan has the greatest density in the world
(more than 50,000 native species). The study revealed Taiwan
contains 50,164 native species spanning eight kingdoms, 55 phyla,
126 classes, 610 orders and 2,900 families. Naturalized and alien
species total 1,056. The project is the first in more than 100
years and carries on from the extensive work of Robert Swinhoe—a
British diplomat who served from 1854 to 1875—to document the
island’s birds, butterflies, moths and mammals.
According to the
COA, Taiwan’s 36,179 square kilometers covers just 0.025 percent
of the world’s total land mass. Containing 2.5 percent of the
world’s species, Taiwan’s biodensity is 100 times higher than the
global average. In terms of marine life, the island has 10 percent
of the world’s species, 400 times higher than the global mean.
Source:
United Daily News, 18 July 2009
Taiwan Launches a New Visa Stamp
Trip Report:
British Columbia Field
Ornithologists Mar 20 - Apr 1, 2009
ANNOTATED SPECIES
LIST,
Mar 20 - Apr 1, 2009
2009 Bagua Mountain Bird Fair,
Changua
A Swinhoe’s
Pheasant Brings a Major Conference to Taiwan
The best tourism resources in Taiwan
by Jane Lee

Liberty Times Article
Lower Prices for 2010
The 2009 special price reduction
for private tours for 1 to 6 people have been extended for 2010.
Please contact us for details.
International Taiwan Birding Association in
Japan, February 2009
ENDEMICS and BLACK-FACED SPOONBILL
The Peregrine Falcon Story, Winter
2008–09 Update
Peregrine Falcon Patrol Video
Peregrine Falcon
Stealing Video
Peregrine Falcon Return Video
Kuo K.K 2009 Gallery
Birding Stories - Roger Barnes on Birding in Taiwan
Dr. Robert
Butler Painting Presented to K. K. Kuo

A painting of
Mikado Pheasant, Syrmaticus mikado, by Dr. Robert Butler,
Vancouver, Canada, was presented to Kuo Ken-Kuang (Mr. K. K. Kuo)
on December 3, 2008, in Taipei. Also present was Huang Mei-Er
(Mrs. K. K. Kuo). Making the presentation on behalf of Dr. Butler
were Simon Liao, Taipei, and Jo Ann MacKenzie, Vancouver, Canada.
5th Annual Vogelfestival (Dutch International Bird Watching
Fair),
AUGUST 23 – 24, 2008
Jo Ann MacKenzie,
ITBA
CHINESE CRESTED TERN 2008 — GOOD
NEWS AND BAD NEWS
%20July%2020-08,%20CROPPED.jpg)
ITBA in Alaska, 2008

The 16th
annual
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival took place in Homer,
Alaska, USA, May 8–11, 2008; The theme for the 2008 festival
was Shorebirds as International Ambassadors—Bringing People
and Birds Together. The International Taiwan Birding
Association was represented by Jo Ann Mackenzie, Executive
Secretary, who was one of the featured speakers on May 11.
The speech was about birding in Taiwan as well as some of the
shorebird species that occur both in Taiwan and Alaska.


Birding Stories - Valerie Gebert on Birding in Taiwan
Trip
Report: BIRDING IN TAIWAN,
Nov 6 - 18, 2007
ANNOTATED SPECIES LIST,
Nov 6–18, 2007
ITBA Goes
to the 2008 British Birdwatching Fair
The International Taiwan Birding Association will again represent
Taiwan at the British Birdwatching Fair, 15–17
August, to be held in the
Egleton Nature
Reserve, Rutland Water, Oakham, Rutland, Cambridgeshire, United
Kingdom. Simon Liao and Jo Ann MacKenzie invite you to attend a
talk on “Chinese Crested Tern,
and Endemics of Taiwan” on Saturday, August 16, 4:00–4:20
p.m. in Lecture Marquee 2. There will be free gifts for those
attending.
We
look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones this year.
Kuo K.K. Art Gallery Updated
Birding in
Saint Lucia
Jo Ann MacKenzie
During the last week of
November, 2007, a Taiwan International Birding Association delegation
traveled to Saint Lucia, West Indies, on a mission of “eco-diplomacy,” to
assist the government of St. Lucia in producing a bird book specific to St.
Lucia. At present, the birds of St. Lucia are only illustrated in books on
the West Indies. A Birding in St. Lucia website will also be
developed to encourage ecotourism for birding.
MORE
Birding in Chung Yo
ITBA in Saint Lucia

Owl Art Gallery
Trip Report:
BIRDING IN TAIWAN October
8–12, 2007
The Story of “Krosa” the Dog
Birding in the Southwest Coast of Taiwan
Birding in Blue Gate
Birding in Taipinshan
歡迎你來參加2007年, 我的母親舊濁水溪攝影比賽
Birds in Taiwan – Species
Account :
Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon Story
The Falcons of Kaohsiung Part 1
The Falcons of Kaohsiung Part 2
Birding
in Aowanda
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Birding
in Taiwan Breaking News
Chinese Crested Tern Tour, July
2009

After some
typhoon-related delay, the July 18–19 tour for Chinese Crested
Tern was successful. Six adults and two chicks were seen in the
Matsu Tern Reserve, delighting observers from Austria, Ireland,
the U.K. and Taiwan.
The Sighting of
a Possible Hybrid of Chinese Crested Tern and Greater Crested Tern
by Chang
Shou-hua, Matsu Wild Bird Society;
translation from
Mandarin by Dustin Wang
On the morning of
June 6, 2009, we took the car arranged by the Fujien Birdwatching
Society to Eel Beach which is near the border of Jien-fong
Township and Mei-hua Township, China. After a two-hour ride, we
arrived at our destination. Then we took a boat for about ten
minutes. After that, we were on the beach.
As it was the time
of high tide, we could not reach the sandbank in the middle of the
river mouth where the terns usually show themselves. So we had to
wait for about an hour before we could cut through the water. Eel
Beach is the largest sand plate of the river mouth of the Ming
River, Fujien, China. In December, there were almost 40 thousand
waders here. From May to September is the season of terns. Through
our telescopes, we soon sighted 5 Chinese Crested Terns. After
waiting for a long time, we luckily got pictures of courting
behavior of a pair of Chinese Crested Terns. Soon the tide
retreated and the terns departed. We packed our gear, with
happiness in our mind.
Our goals this
time were to photograph courting behavior of Chinese Crested
Terns, and to get a better understanding of their habitat on Eel
Beach. A more important purpose was to visit the Fujien
Birdwatching Society and discuss how to cooperate on the mission
of protecting the Chinese Crested Terns.
On the morning of
June 8, we went to the Eel Beach again. This time, we arrived
before high tide and waited for the terns to come close to us as
the tide rose. Two hours later, 5 Chinese Crested Terns showed up
in a group of Greater Crested Terns. Among them, we found a
possible hybrid of the Chinese Crested Tern and the Greater
Crested Tern which a birder named Chen-Lin, a member of Fujien
Birdwatching Society, had photographed and told us about last
year. After several minutes of photography and observation, we
found that this Chinese Crested Tern did have something special
(Images 1–3).
1.
1.
1.The
back and flight feathers were darker than those of the Chinese
Crested Tern and more similar to those of the Greater Crested
Tern.
2.
2.2.2.The black
crest of the Chinese Crested Tern almost reached the base of the
bill. But there was an obvious distance between the black crest
and the base of the bill of this one. The space was white, but the
distance was shorter than that of a Greater Crested Tern. Chen-Lin
thought it was a hybrid of the Chinese Crested Tern and the
Greater Crested Tern. He also showed us a film of a Greater
Crested Tern courting it, but there was no mating. I think even if
mating were to take place, It might not reproduce.
3.
3.
3.On
June 21, birders from Taiwan and China conducted an investigation
on the Chinese Crested Tern in the Matsu Tern Reserve. We found
another Chinese Crested Tern with abnormal color. Its back and
flight feathers were darker than a normal Chinese Crested Tern but
paler than that the bird on Eel Beach, Fujien. Also, the black
part of its bill appeared shorter than that of normal Chinese
Crested Tern. (Images 4, 5).
 
Later, we asked Liu
Shiao-ru, a researcher of the Institute of Cellular and Organismic
Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, about the first and second
points. She said: if the DNA relationship between the two species
is not great, it is possible to hybridize. And since we saw that
it did not respond to the courting behavior of the Greater Crested
Tern, it is possible that it cannot reproduce. In nature, many
hybrids are like this. It would not be unusual if it can’t
reproduce. But it will be a big issue if it can reproduce.
As for the third point, we’d like to ask for the opinions from you
all. Will the Chinese Crested Tern become extinct? Will they
hybridize with the Greater Crested Tern? And if they do, will the
hybrids be able to reproduce? All the questions remain unsolved
and need your attention.
Click here to present your opinion.
July 2009 — Chinese Crested Terns
Have Returned

Chinese Crested
Terns have returned to the Matsu Archipelago for the 2009 nesting
season. A survey by Chang Shou-hua has revealed the presence of
seven birds in the Matsu Tern Reserve. The Chinese Crested Tern
survey is continuing; the exact number of these very rare terns
has not yet been finally determined.
Rare Bird:
Narcissus Flycatcher

Narcissus
Fycatcher, Ficedula narcissina is rare migrant through
Taiwan. This male bird was photographed on April 22, 2009 at
Yeliou. The species breeds in Japan and extreme eastern Russia;
it winters primarily in Borneo. Image by Jason Chaung.
Japanese
Paradise-Flycatcher

This elegant male
Japanese Paradise-Flycatcher, Terpsiphone atrocaudata
atrocaudata was at Yeliou in northern Taiwan on April 22,
2009. The species breeds in Japan, Korea, Taiwan (including Lanyu
Island, T. a. periopthalmica, considered resident) and the
extreme northern Philippines. The main wintering areas are
Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia. Image by Jason Chaung.
Japanese
Paradise-Flycatcher

This migrant
female Japanese Paradise-Flycatcher, Terpsiphone
atrocaudata atrocaudata was at Yeliou in northern Taiwan on
March 31, 2009. The species breeds in Japan, Korea, Taiwan
(including Lanyu Island, T. a. periopthalmica, considered
resident) and the extreme northern Philippines. The main
wintering areas are Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Image by Jo Ann MacKenzie.
Yellow-throated Bunting

Two
Yellow-throated Buntings, Emberiza elegans (also called
Elegant Bunting) were at Yeliou on March 31, 2009. Breeding
distribution includes southern Russian Far East, Korea, and parts
of China. Wintering areas include Japan, southeast China, Taiwan
(rare) to Myanmar (Burma). Images by Jo Ann MacKenzie.
Taiwan Partridge

With its big
voice, a rising crescendo of guru-guru-guru, endemic
Taiwan Partridge, Arborophila crudigularis is
often heard in mid-elevation forest, but due to its relatively
small size (length 28cm), cryptic colouring and extremely wary
habits, this species is seldom seen. This bird was photographed
at Huisun Forest Station. Two birds were calling behind one of
the buildings. Suddenly, one bird flew out of the forest toward
the building, struck a second-floor window, bounced off the glass
and flew to a tree, about 10m up, where it remained for several
minutes before flying to the ground. It stood on a log for a few
minutes, then walked out of sight. Images by Jo Ann MacKenzie, 22
March 2009.
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%20se_small.jpg)
Photo Credit:
Government Information Office, Taiwan. |
Only 130Km
off the coast of the Chinese mainland, Taiwan occupies a strategic position
in East Asia at the intersection of sea currents and navigation routes.
When Portuguese navigators sighted Taiwan in the 16th century, they were
struck by its tremendous beauty and called the island
Ilha Formosa
or "beautiful island".
More
About Taiwan |
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Collared Bush-Robin,
Flamecrest,
Formosan Magpie,
Formosan Whistling-Thrush,
Mikado Pheasant,
Steere's Liocichla,
Styan's Bulbul,
Swinhoe's Pheasant,
Taiwan Barwing,
Taiwan Bush-Warbler,
Taiwan Partridge,
Taiwan Yuhina,
White-eared Sibia,
White-whiskered Laughingthrush,
Yellow Tit
More Birds in Taiwan
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Jo Ann on Birding in
Taiwan
It was an honour and privilege to be part
of the first Taiwanese-organized and led birding tour to
Taiwan in March 2003. I considered the opportunity to be a
special treat because I had been interested in Chinese life
and culture since my childhood. Before the trip, I read all I
could about Taiwan, the birds and everything else....MORE
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About Us |
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INTERNATIONAL TAIWAN BIRDING ASSOCIATION
The
INTERNATIONAL TAIWAN Birding Association was formally registered as
a not-for-profit society on May 21, 2005, at a meeting at the Council of
Agriculture, Taipei,
Taiwan. Officers elected: Yang Chung-tse, Chairman; Lin Maw-nan, Vice
Chairman; Tso Chien-hui, Executive Secretary; Zheng Shu-kai/Kerry Zheng,
Treasurer.
Our
objective is to encourage birding eco-tourism in
Taiwan.
TIBA was
first organized as the International Taiwan Birding
Association in July, 2003, in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.
Officers appointed were: Simon Liao, President; Dr. Robert Butler and
Dr. Shing Kuo Shih, Vice Presidents; Jo Ann MacKenzie, Executive
Secretary; Karen Shih, Treasurer. After TIBA came into being in Taiwan,
ITBA continued to operate as a parallel branch in Canada. On March 17,
2007, ITBA merged with TIBA, and remains as the Canadian chapter, under
the name of the
INTERNATIONAL TAIWAN Birding Association (Canada).
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