By Chiu Chih-jou / Staff reporterThe number of documented black kites in Taiwan has reached 709, a seven-year high, which is exciting news for conservationists, the Raptor Research Group of Taiwan said yesterday. Since the group took over the work in 2013, it has mobilized volunteers nationwide in the fall and winter each year to count the birds in their nighttime habitats, she said. A total of 555 black kites were recorded by volunteers in September and the count rose to 709 this month, with the greater figure used to represent their findings for the year, she added. The species had been facing extinction over the past several years. The group has teamed up with the university and the Wild Bird Society of Keelung to establish guidelines for black kite protection.

Source: Taipei Times December 28, 2019 15:56 UTC