On the morning of October 29^th, around 9 a.m., Zhao Guangsheng, the President of the Guangzhou Nature Association, led a group of children on a nature observation expedition at Baiyun Mountain Luhu Park in Guangzhou. To everyone's amazement, they stumbled upon four cotton pygmy geese, a species designated as a national second-level protected wildlife. This marks the first appearance of cotton pygmy geese in Guangzhou in nearly 17 years, with the last recorded sighting dating back to 2006.

Cotton pygmy geese, listed in the national directory of second-level protected wildlife in 2021, hold a rarity status in China. They are primarily migratory birds, with their habitat ranging from summer nesting sites in the north to resident populations in the extreme southern regions. Prior to this discovery, there were limited records of the species in Guangdong, including Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Dongguan.

Cotton pygmy geese belong to the Anatidae family, specifically the genus Nettapus. They are known for their diminutive size among waterfowl. Male cotton pygmy geese typically feature white heads and necks with a black crown, while their neck rings and back exhibit dark green hues. They have large white wing patches on their primary flight feathers. Females, on the other hand, have white eyebrow lines, black eye stripes, brown backs, and brown-black markings on their lower neck without neck rings. Cotton Pygmy Geese prefer habitats near rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands, where they nest in tree hollows. They primarily feed on seeds, vegetables, and have a preference for plants from the Nymphaeaceae family, in addition to insects and crustaceans.

"Baiyun Mountain boasts a pristine ecological environment and has long been a stopover for various migratory birds such as the Black-faced Spoonbill, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Black-browed Reed Warbler, and Oriental Reed Warbler. In recent years, there has been an increasing presence of raptors passing through, making it an important rest stop for migratory birds," Zhao Guangsheng explained. Birds in the midst of migration often require breaks to replenish their energy or seek temporary shelter due to inclement weather, fatigue, or illness before continuing their journey back to their breeding grounds or wintering sites.

What might have attracted these cotton pygmy geese to visit Baiyun Mountain Luhu Park? Zhao offered some insight, "Cotton pygmy geese have a preference for Nymphaeaceae plants, and conveniently, Baiyun Mountain Luhu Park features a large expanse of open water with numerous Nymphaeaceae plants. It's likely that, after a tiring flight due to recent rainy weather, they spotted a suitable environment and decided to make a brief pitstop. Currently, it remains uncertain how long these four cotton pygmy geese will stay at Baiyun Mountain Luhu Park."

时隔17年，珍稀鸟类棉凫现身广州白云山麓湖公园

10月29日9时左右，广州市自然观察协会会长赵广胜在广州白云山麓湖公园带领小朋友做自然观察时，发现了4只国家二级重点保护野生动物棉凫。这是2006年后，近17年来，广州再有棉凫出现的记录。

据了解，棉凫在2021年被列入国家重点保护野生动物名录，保护级别为Ⅱ级，在中国数量稀少，分布区大部为夏候鸟，极南部为留鸟。此次棉凫现身麓湖公园，是广州近17年来再有棉凫出现的记录，此前，棉凫在广东的深圳、珠海、东莞等有少量记录。

据悉，棉凫是雁形目鸭科棉凫属的鸟类动物，是鸭科中体型最瘦小的水鸭。雄性棉凫的头、颈大致为白色，头顶黑色，颈环和背部暗绿色；初级飞羽黑褐色，飞羽中部形成大的白色翅斑。雌性棉凫有白色眉纹及黑色贯眼纹，背褐色，无颈环，下颈有黑褐色斑纹。棉凫一般生活在河川、湖泊、池塘和沼泽地，在树洞中筑巢，主要吃种子、蔬菜，喜爱睡莲科植物，也吃昆虫、甲壳类等。

“白云山的生态环境良好，长期以来都有黑脸琵鹭、水雉、黑眉苇莺、东方大苇莺等许多迁徙的候鸟经过，特别是近年来还有不少猛禽过境，是一个重要的候鸟驿站。”赵广胜表示，鸟类迁徙途中需要停歇补充体力，或者在碰到恶劣天气、体力不支、生病等原因，需要在附近临时落脚，才能顺利飞回繁殖地或越冬地。

麓湖公园有什么吸引棉凫“到访”？赵广胜介绍，“棉凫喜欢吃睡莲科植物，刚好麓湖公园有一大片开阔的水域，还有不少睡莲科植物，估计是前阵子下雨天飞累了，中途看到合适的环境，停留作短暂休息。目前，还不知道这4只棉凫会在麓湖公园待多久。”

文｜记者 马思泳 通讯员 汪张跃
图｜赵广胜
译｜刘佳慧
责编 | 王楠
校对 | 潘丽玲