Rare western marsh harrier sighted in South Taiwan

Sighting in 1865 was never officially confirmed

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/09
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer\

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Birdwatchers near the resort town of Kenting have spotted a western marsh harrier, a bird of prey never officially seen in Taiwan before, reports said Saturday (November 9).

A significant number of migratory birds have been moving across Pingtung County on Taiwan’s southern tip, an area on their route to warmer climes ahead of winter.

A birdwatcher posted two pictures on Facebook of birds he had seen near a lake in the area. While one of the animals was a relatively common eastern marsh harrier, a netizen identified the other bird as a western marsh harrier or Circus aeruginosus, more common in Europe, West Asia and Africa, but officially never seen in Taiwan before, the Central News Agency reported.

As far back as 1865, it had been reportedly spotted in Kaohsiung, but since there was no photographic or other evidence, the sighting was never officially accepted.    [FULL  STORY]