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Research | Open Access

Coastal wetlands in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China: probably the most important site globally for the Asian Dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus)

Ziyou Yang1, Jing Li1, Yongxiang Han2, Chris J. Hassell3, Kar-Sin Katherine Leung4, David S. Melville5, Yat-tung Yu6, Lin Zhang1, Chi-Yeung Choi7 ( )
Spoon-Billed Sandpiper (Shanghai) Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 201100, China
Lianyungang Xugou Primary School, Lianyungang, 222042, China
Global Flyway Network, PO Box 3089, Broome, WA, 6725, Australia
Hong Kong Waterbirds Ringing Group, Mai Po Nature Reserve, Hong Kong, China
1261 Dovedale Road, RD 2 Wakefield, Nelson, 7096, New Zealand
Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, 7C, V Ga Building, 532 Castle Peak Road, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
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Abstract

Background

Despite an increasing number of surveys and a growing interest in birdwatching, the population and distribution of Asian Dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus), a species endemic to the East Asian-Australasian and Central Asian Flyways, remains poorly understood, and published information about the species is largely outdated. In boreal spring 2019, over 22, 432 Asian Dowitchers were recorded in a coastal wetland at Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China, constituting 97.5% of its estimated global population.

Methods

In 2019 and 2020, we conducted field surveys at Lianyungang to determine the numbers of Asian Dowitchers using the area during both southward and northward migrations. We also assessed the distribution and abundance of Asian Dowitchers elsewhere along the China coast by searching literature and consulting expert opinion.

Results

The coastal wetlands of Lianyungang are the most important stopover site for Asian Dowitchers during both northward and southward migrations; they supported over 90% of the estimated global population during northward migration in two consecutive years (May 2019 and 2020). This area also supported at least 15.83% and 28.42% (or 30.74% and 53.51% using modelled estimates) of the global population during southward migration in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Coastal wetlands in the west and north of Bohai Bay also have been important stopover sites for the species since the 1990s. Although comprehensive, long-term monitoring data are lacking, available evidence suggests that the population of the species may have declined.

Conclusions

The high concentration of Asian Dowitchers at Lianyungang during migration means the species is highly susceptible to human disturbances and natural stochastic events. The coastal wetlands of Lianyungang should be protected and potentially qualify for inclusion in China's forthcoming nomination for World Heritage listing of Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase Ⅱ) in 2023. Additional research is needed to understand Asian Dowitchers' distribution and ecology, as well as why such a high proportion of their population rely on the Lianyungang coast.

Keywords

Yellow SeaLianyungangLimnodromus semipalmatus ShorebirdStopover ecologyWorld Heritage

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Avian Research
Volume 12 Issue 1,
January 2021
Article number: 38
DOI: 10.1186/s40657-021-00272-7
Cite this article:
Yang Z, Li J, Han Y, et al. Coastal wetlands in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China: probably the most important site globally for the Asian Dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus). Avian Research, 2021, 12(1): 38. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-021-00272-7

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Received: 31 December 2020
Accepted: 28 June 2021
Published: 08 July 2021
© The Author(s) 2021.

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