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Endangered night heron found up north

HA NOI — A globally endangered bird species, the white-eared night heron (Gorsachius magnificus) has been discovered in Lung Ly limestone forest in Thi Village, in the mountainous province of Bac Can.

This most significant discovery was made during a recent survey by scientists from BirldLife International in the past two months.

This is a part of the protected area for resources conservation (PARC) project at Ba Be and Na Hang Nature Reserve in north-eastern Viet Nam.

The white-eared night heron which has not been seen in Viet Nam for 25 years was sighted in the day on 30 April 30 and May 1. It was seen roosting and sleeping in tall trees near a stream at the bottom of a valley.

It belongs to a class known as forest herons, which are active at night and rest during the day and only a single record of it in Ha Tay Province exists in the country.

The known range of this species is restricted to a few places in south-eastern China and on Hainan Island.

However, even in these places sightings are very rare. In fact, in the recent BirdLife International publication Threatened Birds of the World, it is listed as an endangered species, and, before its rediscovery, as extinct in Viet Nam.

The rediscovery of white-eared night heron at Lung Ly limestone forest establishes the continued presence of this species in Viet Nam, and reveals that the forest habitat at Lung Ly is part of an Endemic Bird Area (EBA) in north-eastern Viet Nam.

The surveys of BirdLife are carried out with the aim of making recommendations for biodiversity conservation management in the Ba Be and Na Hang forest complex.

Ba Be and Na Hang are well known as the home of two rare primates: the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus) and the Francois’ Leaf Monkey (Semnopithecus francoisi francoisi).

Both these primates are threatened with global extinction as a result of hunting and habitat loss.

The Lung Ly area is covered in about 3,000 ha of primary forest on limestone karst, almost all of which is in good condition. The site is located to the east of Na Hang Nature Reserve and is contiguous to it, separated only by more forest areas. — VNS

www.ecologyasia.com

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