Identifying Urban of Hong Kong

©MK817/Pixabay The diversity of birds in Hong Kong Biodiversity and land areas of HK & China HK China % Land area (km2) 1,090 9,300,000 0.01 Plants

Angiosperms 1,911 30,000 6.37 Gymnosperms 9 250 3.60 Pteridophytes 215 2,200 9.77 Mammals 62 581 10.67 Birds 500 1408 35.51 (Hong Kong Watching Society 2010) (China Bird Report 2010) Reptiles 88 376 23.40

Table From Dr Billy Hau Dr Billy From Table Amphibians 23 284 8.10 Resident Birds

Female Oriental magpie robin Copsychus saularis

Photo: unknown source Migratory Birds Some birds are only in Hong Kong for certain periods of the year. Many birds pass through Hong Kong in their migratory journeys from their breeding grounds in the north to wintering grounds further south. Some stay through the winter.

Black-naped Tern 黑枕燕鷗

Black-faced Spoonbill 黑臉琵鷺 Photos: ©Billy Hau Great Egret Birds Chinese Pond Wetland Birds

池鷺 Some species are very closely associated with water and you will only likely find these birds near water sources, either natural or in parks with big lakes or ponds. (all photos ©billyhau)

Common Kingfisher Little Grebe Forest Birds

Some birds are only found in relatively pristine, undisturbed forests. You will not likely see these species in heavily urbanized areas. Black-faced Spoonbill

Endangered and

Collared Crow

Yellow-crested cockatoos © Tim Bonebrake © Michelle & Peter Wong Urban Birds?

Are there any birds that can thrive in this super- urbanized habitat? Hong Kong has a high diversity of common urban species Images from the LCSD website: https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/green/birds/overview.html The importance of birds: seed dispersal

Photo: Hong Kong Coast Watch The importance of birds: pest control

Many species of birds eat and other invertebrates that many of us would consider to be pests, including insects. Therefore just by eating, birds are providing us a valuable service!.. The importance of birds: environmental education

Birds are easy to observe, active during the daytime, and we know a lot about what species occur in Hong Kong. This all makes birds a great topic for environmental and ecological field trips. You can learn a lot about science from observing the birds in and around your school. How to Identify Birds

Four keys to visual identification: • Size & Shape • Color Pattern • Behavior • Habitat

https://www.scmp.com/video/hong-kong/2134269/fantastic-hong-kong-birds-and-how- identify-them Basic Birdwatching Tips

• The best time to observe birds is the mornings/evenings when the temperatures are cooler. • Move quietly, speak softly, and avoid sudden movements • Avoid bright coloured clothes • Use the bird songs to locate the birds • Looks for movements in bushes/trees • Be patient! Tips on choosing binoculars

• While it is not necessary to always use binoculars, especially for urban birds, they can help you see a bird much more closely and thus giving you a better experience observing the birds. • If you would like to purchase binoculars, you can find many different kinds of lightweight, inexpensive binoculars that will improve the birdwatching experience. • One of the key things to look for is magnification. – Binoculars are classified using two numbers, e.g. 7 x 25 – The first number (7) is the magnification, I recommend at least 7x, but you can also get 8x and 10x – The second number (25) is related to how much light comes in, which makes a brighter, clearer image. • I am happy to help advise on what binoculars to choose! How to identify birds? Field guides Some type of guide book is essential when you are learning to identify birds. Shaun will be providing some identification guides with birds specific to the area of your school.

This is probably the best guide book to birds in Hong Kong available at the moment. All birds that you are likely to see will be found in this book.

Birds are grouped in taxonomic order, with closely related birds found together in the book.

However, there are many similar looking birds which are distantly related, so you need sometimes to check throughout the book to make sure there are no other similar looking birds! How to Identify Birds

Four keys to visual id: • Size & Shape • Color Pattern • Behavior

• Habitat @Redgannet 2012 Size and Shape

You can tell this bird is a night heron because of its shape, and the way it is hunched over with no visible neck. Compare this with a Grey Heron silhouette to the right. Use Colour Patterns • Focus on patterns instead of trying to match every feather.

This black-collared starling is This Oriental magpie-robin is black on the back and white on also black and white with a the belly and head, making the similar pattern, but the head is black collar around its neck stand all black and it looks like he is out. wearing a black hood. Bright patches of colour: If a bird has a very bright colour patch, this can help to identify the species. Measure the bird against itself

These two very similar species of north American woodpeckers are distinguished by how long the beak is compared to the size of the head. This is a bit advanced, but can be useful for more obvious features like leg length too. Behaviour

• Observing what a bird is doing: how it feeds, how it interacts with others of its species can provide important clues. • Birds feeding by poking their beaks into the mud along the shoreline are likely some time of wading bird • Small birds flitting around in the tops of trees are likely some type of songbird like a warbler or a white-eye • A bird soaring with it’s wings outstretched is likely a type of bird of prey like a kite or an eagle. Behaviour – flight pattern These two similar looking birds can be told apart by their feeding behavior. Spoonbills feed by walking through the water, swishing their bills back and forth in the water, filtering out the food in their beaks. Great egrets in contrast feed by standing very still, then darting their bills into the water like a spear to catch a .

Black-faced spoonbill

Great egret

©SCMP ©walkhongkong.com Habitat

• Knowing what birds are found in a certain habitat can help rule out other species. For example you will be unlikely to observe a heron far away from water. The reed warbler pictured below is only found in reed beds in marshy areas. • Check the time of year – remember that some birds only occur in Hong Kong in one season, while others are here year round. Songs and Calls

A bird’s songs and calls are useful for: – Locating a bird – Identifying what species it is (all bird species have songs unique to that species) Photo: https://sustatu.eus/1523951949

While it may seem hard to learn to identify a bird from its calls, this can actually be learned pretty quickly. Here’s a link to a page on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology webpage that gives some tips on how to learn bird songs: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx%3Fpid%3D1059 Some websites to learn more about birds in Hong Kong (and birdwatching in general) • Hong Kong Bird Watching Society www.hkbws.org.hk

• LCSD webpage on urban birds https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/green/birds/index.html

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology (not Hong Kong, but the world’s leading site for bird related research and education) http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1478 Have Fun!