2024

The State of Taiwan's Birds

The State of Taiwan's Birds 2024 report is a follow-up of the 2020 report, which was the first comprehensive assessment of the conservation status of Taiwan's bird species. Government, academia, and civil society came together to continue this important effort in Taiwan's bird conservation work. It continues to integrate data collected through long-term citizen science projects and scientific studies, providing an in-depth analysis of overall species population trends, the status of specific bird groups, current threats, and conservation strategies and actions. It is hoped that The State of Taiwan's Birds report can enable readers to better understand the current situation faced by Taiwan's birds and contribute to furthering the discussions surrounding global bird conservation efforts.

Highlights

686

Bird species which occur in Taiwan as of 2023

Threatened bird species in Taiwan

Number of threatened bird species whose numbers have increased

Species of breeding bird whose numbers have declined

Species of migratory waterbirds whose numbers have declined

9000

Active eBirders who have contributed their observations as of 2024

1150000

Number of completed bird checklists logged since 1972 (as of 2024)

Download

The State of Taiwan's Birds 2024PDF

The Red List of the Birds of Taiwan, 2024PDF

The Red List of the Birds of Taiwan, 2024_Supplement 1檔案

The Red List of the Birds of Taiwan, 2024_Supplement 2檔案

An Update of The National Red List of Taiwan

Originally developed by the IUCN in 1964, the Red List employs a set of science-based criteria to assess the extinction risk for all species and taxa on the planet. Based on these criteria, Taiwanese researchers compiled the first Red List of the Birds of Taiwan in 2016. In response to the joint crises of global climate change and biodiversity loss, the Red List of the Birds of Taiwan 2024 represents the latest threat assessment. It benefited from enhanced data, including population trend analysis for common breeding birds and wintering waterbirds. The total number of assessed species categorized as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU), or Near Threatened (NT) increased to 88 taxa. The update showed that the threat level increased for 26 species and decreased for 30 species. This upward trend highlights the increasing threats to Taiwan's bird populations, possibly due to factors not yet fully understood, necessitating greater domestic and international conservation efforts.

Identifying Key Conservation Issues

In the 2024 report, the scope of conservation issues has broadened to incorporate emerging threats. The threat of Bird-Window Collisions is now recognized as a significant factor threatening bird survival. By November 2022, data collected through citizen science efforts documented 3,484 cases involving 175 species. Mitigation strategies focus on glass design and disrupting reflections. Similarly, the Roadkill issue was formally quantified: the citizen science project TaiRON accumulated 27,210 bird roadkill records, leading to mitigation measures like warning signs and wildlife passages. Lastly, the site expansion of solar panels in response to Taiwan's ambitious goal of transitioning to sustainable energy appeared as a standalone topic. In addition to advocating for careful assessment and discussion, conservation groups (including TWBF) established the Chiku and Jiangjun Salt Pan Wetlands Restoration Alliance to protect 1,605 hectares of critical bird habitat from development pressure.

Growth of Taiwan's Citizen Science

Taiwan's citizen science has grown dramatically, expanding from data accumulation to the establishment of ecological indicators. By 2024, the total number of eBird Taiwan checklists surged to over 1,150,000, placing Taiwan 7th globally for eBird activity. As a rapidly growing platform, iNaturalist Taiwan involved 9,074 users and 175,170 bird entries. The Taiwan Biodiversity Network (TBN) now holds 26 million records (including avian taxa), with 89% originating from citizen science. The most significant progress was the establishment of ecological indicators. The Taiwan Breeding Bird Survey data contributed to establishing three multispecies indicators, while the Taiwan New Year Bird Count data provided insight into wintering water birds. This makes Taiwan one of the first countries in Asia to develop national-level bird indicators, confirming that citizen science has become the backbone of a sophisticated, annually updated national monitoring and conservation scheme.

Special Thanks

Contributors

Lin Da-li, Chiu Chen-ching, Scott Pursner

Author Affiliations

Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University

Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture

Taiwan Wild Bird Federation

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