Goyang City Observes 21 Hooded Cranes at Ramsar Goyang Janghang Wetland

First Group Sighting at Janghang Wetland
Emerging as a Sanctuary for Migratory Birds Including Hooded Cranes

Goyang Special City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Dong-hwan) announced on the 28th that 21 Hooded Cranes were observed at the Ramsar-designated Goyang Janghang Wetland.

At Ramsar Goyang Janghang Wetland, 21 Hooded Cranes are feeding. Provided by Goyang Special City.

Janghang Wetland is a place where more than 30,000 wintering waterfowl visit, including White-naped Cranes, Greater White-fronted Geese, and Eurasian Wigeons, which spend the winter there and migrate to breeding grounds in March.

The Hooded Crane is classified as a Class II endangered wild species by the Ministry of Environment. It winters in Japan and Korea and returns to Russia, China, and other regions for breeding. Although one or two Hooded Cranes have occasionally been observed mixed within flocks of White-naped Cranes at Janghang Wetland, this is the first time they have been observed in a group.

Janghang Wetland is registered as the 143rd site under the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), an international migratory bird protection organization. It is one of the nine major migratory bird flyways on Earth, connecting Russia, Alaska, Korea, East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

This signifies that Janghang Wetland is a very important habitat for migratory waterfowl.

To conserve migratory birds inhabiting Janghang Wetland, Goyang Special City has been supplying about 23 tons of grains and fish as food twice a week using drones from December last year to mid-March this year, and has created flooded rice paddies to provide resting places for dragonflies and other wildlife.

Goyang Special City suspects that the ecological protection activities, such as food provision and creation of bird resting shelters, have enhanced the habitat functions of Janghang Wetland, leading to the observation of the Hooded Crane flock there.

Lee Sung-woo, Director of the Environmental Policy Division, said, “We are very pleased that a flock of Hooded Cranes has come to Janghang Wetland,” and added, “We will work together with citizens to preserve the wetland well and use it wisely so that migratory birds like the Hooded Crane can stay comfortably.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.