Introduction China Birds

With her vast territory, complex topographies, various climates, and many rivers and mountains with rich wetlands & plants, China plays an important role in wildlife heritage and protection, as well as rich biodiversities. There are over 4400 species of vertebrates including 1260 species of birds, more than 430 mammals, 208 reptiles and more than 2300 fishes. As to the species number, there are 9800 species of birds world wide by the year 2000, and in China numbers varies in species as 1244 (1994 by Zhen Zuoxing), 1253(Cheng Tso Hsin), 1260, 1329 (by Mackinon in 2000). So China is one of the 4 richest countries, and the other 3 countries just located in South America: the 1st Brazil, 2nd Peru and 3rd Colombia.
About 100 species of birds distributes in China only, such as Crested Ibis (Nipponia Nippon, in Yangxian, Shaanxi), Brown Eared Pheasant (Crossoptilon Mantchuricum, Huanglongshan area, Shananxi), Tragopan caboti, Lophorus lhuysii, Chrysolophus pictus, Syrmaticus reevesii, Lophura swinhoii (Taiwan), Oriolus mellianus, Paradoxornis zappeyi, Garrulax sukatschewi, Kozlowia Roborowhkii (Tibet), Emberiza koslowi etc; some life and species plays important role in biodiversities, such as Phaethontidae,  Upupidae, Muscicapidae, Prunellidae, Gaviidae, Phalaropodidae, Certhiidae, Bombycillidae, Fregatidae, Gruidae, Rostratulidae, Cinclidae. There are 15 cranes and 9 of them recorded in China, and China is rightly famed for the rare cranes such as Grus leucogeranus (White Crane), Grus nigricollis (Black-necked crane), Grus Japonensis (Red-crowned Crane).... >>More