A new species of bird has been recorded in the Jiangsu Yancheng Wetland National Rare Birds Nature Reserve in East China, according to a nature reserve announcement on Sunday.
The discovery of koel birds raises the number of avian species in the nature reserve to 404. Birds belonging to 54 families in 18 orders have been found there.
In June, bird researchers at the reserve began hearing a new type of loud birdcall day and night. After tracking the birdcall for days, Zhao Yongqiang, an engineer working at the nature reserve, finally observed a crow-like black bird with a lead-grey beak and a pair of red eyes, and shot photos of it. The species of bird has been identified by ornithologists as koel.
Koel is usually found in India, Sri Lanka, islands in the South Pacific, Taiwan and some areas in the Chinese mainland. According to historical records, koel has never been found in Yancheng before. Therefore, the discovery has a certain significance in the study of birds’ distribution and their biological characteristics in China.
