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China Anhui

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Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia ©Alister Benn http://www.availablelightimages.com

Anhui, located in the lower reaches of Yangtze River and middle reaches of Huai River, is an important habitat for birds. The numerous lakes and wetlands generated by the two rivers have become home for winter migrants and summer breeders. The diversified topography of the province has made it a home for large number of different bird species.

With a population of over 59 million, the province covers an area of 130,000 square kilometers consisting of three parts, Huaibei Plain, Jianghuai Hilly Area and South Mountainous Area. It is estimated that there are between 166 & 242 bird species in the forest areas in eastern part of the province, between 76 & 166 bird species in the plains along the river, hilly areas and mountainous areas in the southern part and only between 63 & 76 bird species in the northern plain and south province.

The climate is semi-humid, monsoon type with a warm, temperate and subtropical humid monsoon.

The capital city of Anhui is Heifei City, which has a history of about 2000 years.

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Top Sites

Anqing Wetlands

Satellite View
Established in 1995, Anqing Wetlands lie in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The wetlands occupy an area of 133,000 hectares. As important habitat for migrants in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River; a large number of rare and endangered water birds come here to spend the winter each year. According to the investigation of 2004, the birds in Anqing Wetlands number over 250,000. About 152 bird species have been recorded on this reserve, of which 86 are water birds.

Mt. Huangshan

Satellite View
Located in the South Anhui at 27,066 ft., Huangshan is the highest Mountain in East China as well as a very important tourist attraction. It was included in the UNESCO 'world nature and culture heritage sites' in 1990. Huangshan has abundant birds. According to statistics, there are 210 bird species in Huangshan including a number of endangered ones such as Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga, Elliot’s Pheasant Syrmaticus ellioti and Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher Rhinomyias brunneata.

Shengjinhu Nature Reserve

Satellite View
Established in 1986 with an area of 33,400 hectares, Shengjinhu Nature Reserve is situated in Southwestern Anhui, on the Southern Bank of the Yangtze River. The vast lake surface provides an abundant food resource to attract birds to breed there and a large number of migrant birds to drop in to feed. So this lake is also known as 'Lake of Cranes' in China. Of the 170 bird species recorded here, 84 are water birds and 80 are overwintering migrants.

Contributor

Philip He
Alpine Birding
(Sichuan Province)

Reserves

Chinese Alligator Nature Reserve

Website
Chinese Alligator Nature Reserve covers an area of 44,300 hectares. Its main protection targets are Chinese alligator, special Chinese reptile and its habitat...

Guniujiang Nature Reserve

Website
Satellite View
Located in the boundaries of Qimen and Shitai counties in Anhui Province, and west of Huangshan Mountains, Guniujiang Nature Reserve covers an area of 14,821 hectares...

Shengjing Lake Nature Reserve - Chizhou City - Dongzhi

Website
Satellite View
Shengjinhu is good for White and Hooded Cranes as well as passerines - A provincial nature reserve was established at Shengjin Lake in 1986, which was upgraded to a national nature reserve in 1997. Despite its protected status, there have been large-scale land-use changes within the reserve, and human activities have major impacts on the wintering waterbirds...

Trip Reports

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2003 [October] Rob Drummond - Shanghai, Gaoyou, Yangzhou, Yellow Mountain area - Annhui Province, Beijing, Great Wall - Badalang

Report

I have just returned from three weeks in China as part of a school trip so basically I was acting as a sheep dog for 57 teenagers and most birdwatching was incidental. We visited the usual places although we did spend 10 days at Gaoyou which is located on the Grand Canal, c160 km north of Nanjing and is certainly a place off the tourist path and I suspect not a place that has been visited by too many overseas birders. Several of my records from there were of species whose distributions, according to the field guide, stopped at the Yangtze...

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