Chongqing- The Municipal Forestry Bureau released a schematic diagram of migratory birds' routes through Chongqing Municipality, including the main characteristics, habitats, protection, and distribution of raptors and waterbirds. The release, which came on November 2nd, follows the recent status Chongqing has gained as Eagle City, thanks to continued achievements in ecological restoration and greater public awareness towards their natural surroundings.

More than 300 species of migratory birds pass through Chongqing each year, and the latest data shows these include 91 varieties of national key protected birds such as the white-crowned long-tailed pheasant, green-headed pochard, Chinese merganser, golden eagle, and black stork. In the case of Chinese merganser, the improved ecology has meant that wintering populations have stabilized in recent years and have been monitored in the Qihe River Basin for nine consecutive years.

The schematic diagram shows three main types of summer, winter, and traveling migratory birds in Chongqing. In the six ecological categories of birdlife, song and climbing birds are the mainstays in summer; swimming and wading birds constitute the most common visitors in the winter season, while raptors and land birds mostly transit through Chongqing on their migratory journeys.

One enthusiast from the Chongqing Bird Watching Association commented that swimming, wading, and songbirds migrate in flocks of differing sizes, while raptors tend to migrate alone. However, the local geography and climate do bring them together on occasion in spectacular migratory scenes.

The unique topography of Chongqing Municipality features tall green mountain ridges stretching roughly parallel for hundreds of miles, with valleys in between spanning an average of twenty kilometers. These geographical features provide an unmistakable landmark for migratory raptors in spring and autumn, while thermal air currents allow them to soar with less physical effort.

Among the eight principal migration channels across Chongqing Municipality, the Jialing and Yangtze River basins have become the most important wetland environment for waterfowl migration and wintering because of their unique natural ecosystems. Geese, ducks, loons, grebes, shorebirds, gulls, storks, cranes, and some raptors all inhabit here.

In the past decade, Chongqing has seen the average number of days per year with high air quality increase to three hundred and twenty-six, with the improved environment producing significant benefits for migratory birds of prey and clearer skies for local birdwatching enthusiasts who now observe them in greater numbers.