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Record number of seagulls flock to China's "spring city"

Xinhua, December 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

The number of seagulls migrating to Kunming City, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, this winter has set a 31-year record, local authorities said Tuesday.

Statistics from the Kunming Municipal Forestry Bureau showed that approximately 40,500 seagulls had flocked to the Dianchi Lake Basin as of Sunday, an increase of about 1,000 compared to the number last winter.

The data also revealed that more than 99 percent of the seagulls were black-headed gulls. Brown-headed gulls were among the few other species present.

The forestry bureau and Kunming's society for the protection of birds organized nearly 200 people to count seagulls in 62 habitats around Dianchi Lake.

Kunming has seen an increasing number of seagulls during recent winters, which could be attributed to the favorable climate and environment around the city's Dianchi Lake, strengthened protection from city government and locals, and an abundance of food, said Yang Ming, deputy secretary general of the society.

Yang said GPS monitoring devices on the seagulls showed that they mainly migrate from Lake Baikal in Russia, Uvs Nuur Basin in Mongolia, and Bosten Lake in far west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Kunming is known as the "spring city" for its mild climate and year-round green environment. Endi