Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On the 3rd, reporters learned from the Tibet Autonomous Region Plateau Biology Research Institute that its survey and monitoring work has revealed a westward extension of the wintering distribution range of the Black-necked Crane in Tibet.
Recently, during synchronous monitoring of wintering waterbirds in Tibet, the Tibet Autonomous Region Plateau Biology Research Institute recorded three individuals of the Black-necked Crane, a Class I protected wild animal in China, in the wetlands of Suozuo Township, Nyalam County, Shigatse City. This record, located outside the western edge of the existing wintering distribution area of the Black-necked Crane, represents the first clear monitoring data obtained in this region in recent years, indicating a westward extension of the wintering distribution range of the Black-necked Crane in Tibet.
Yang Le, Deputy Director and Researcher of the Tibet Autonomous Region Plateau Biology Research Institute, explained that the Black-necked Crane is a typical plateau wetland-dependent species, and its wintering site selection is highly sensitive to hydrological conditions, food resource availability, and changes in the climatic background. In this monitoring, the individuals exhibited relatively stable activity and foraging behaviors, indicating that the wetland provides basic habitat and foraging conditions during the wintering period. Against the backdrop of global climate change, winter temperatures in plateau regions are fluctuating more significantly, leading to adjustments in the freezing period of water bodies, the degree of wetland exposure, and the distribution patterns of benthic invertebrates in some areas.
He added that this environmental change may provide new usable spaces for some waterbirds, allowing them to explore potentially suitable areas while maintaining stable use of their traditional core wintering grounds. The monitoring records of black-necked cranes obtained in Nyalam County this time reflect a westward expansion trend in their spatial utilization; whether this area will form a stable wintering ground remains to be observed.
It is understood that these monitoring results provide new empirical data for understanding the dynamic changes in the wintering distribution patterns of black-necked cranes, and also suggest the need to further strengthen continuous monitoring in the middle and upper reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River and its tributaries to determine the persistence and frequency of this distribution expansion phenomenon and its relationship with climate change and habitat conditions. The accumulation of relevant data will help improve the database of wintering distribution of plateau waterbirds and provide a scientific basis for species conservation and wetland management in the context of climate change. (End)
