Taiwan trees
Roebelin Date Palm
Dragon Juniper
Flame of the forest
Indian Almond
Araucaria excelsa, Norfolk Island Pine
An evergreen timber and ornamental conifer Norfolk Island, South Pacific Ocean between New Caledonia and New Zealand. Can grow to a height of 60 metres (200 feet), with a trunk sometimes reaching 3 metres (10 feet) in diameter.
Bambusa vulgaris
An open clump type bamboo species with lemon yellow culms with green stripes and dark green leaves. The shoots are edible and remain buttercup yellow after cooking. It can tolerate minor frost. It is a preferred species for erosion control. It can grow up to a height of 12 m, and a thickness of 8 cm.
Callistemon viminalis, Weeping Bottlebrush
Native of Australia, can grow to 8 meter in height.
Dragon Juniper
Flame of the forest
Indian Almond
Araucaria excelsa, Norfolk Island Pine
An evergreen timber and ornamental conifer Norfolk Island, South Pacific Ocean between New Caledonia and New Zealand. Can grow to a height of 60 metres (200 feet), with a trunk sometimes reaching 3 metres (10 feet) in diameter.
Bambusa vulgarisAn open clump type bamboo species with lemon yellow culms with green stripes and dark green leaves. The shoots are edible and remain buttercup yellow after cooking. It can tolerate minor frost. It is a preferred species for erosion control. It can grow up to a height of 12 m, and a thickness of 8 cm.
Callistemon viminalis, Weeping BottlebrushNative of Australia, can grow to 8 meter in height.
Black-Faced Spoonbills
Just a 25 minute drive north of Tainan City is the main wintering site of probably Taiwan's most famous bird, the Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) in the flat Chiku wetlands (aka Chigu, Chigu). This endangered bird has the most restricted distribution of all spoonbills, confined to the coastal areas of east Asia, it spends the summer on a few small islets off the coast of the Korea peninsula and northeast China. As well as Cigu smaller numbers of birds winter at sites in Hong Kong (Mai Po Marshes) and Vietnam.
Taiwan, on the whole, has been successful in implementing measures to protect its habitat. Plans for an industrial zone in Cigu have been put on hold, instead the Taiwanese-and especially the people of Tainan, have taken great pride in protecting the main lagoon, establishing in 2002 the Chiku Black-faced Spoonbill reserve, providing an excellent visitor center and viewing shelters. The decline in population seems to have been halted, with a census of Tainan's creeks, lagoons and fishponds counting over 1,000 birds in the winter of 2007/2008.
Normally they are to be seen grouped together on mudflats or shallow water in the middle of the main lagoon. Black-faced spoonbills are similar to the world's five other spoonbill species - including the roseate of North and South America, they sweep partly open bills through water and silt to catch small fish and invertebrates such as prawns.
October to March is the most reliable time to view the spoonbills in Chiku. Smaller numbers may be spotted in the neighboring areas of Sitsao and the Aogu wetlands. The viewing area/visitor center is a long way from the nearest village, and public transport is virtually non-existent. If requiring a tour there from downtown Tainan, or Tainan High Speed Rail station contact us at ecologytaiwan@gmail.com
Other bird species sometime spotted in or around the Chiku spoonbill reserve:
Taiwan, on the whole, has been successful in implementing measures to protect its habitat. Plans for an industrial zone in Cigu have been put on hold, instead the Taiwanese-and especially the people of Tainan, have taken great pride in protecting the main lagoon, establishing in 2002 the Chiku Black-faced Spoonbill reserve, providing an excellent visitor center and viewing shelters. The decline in population seems to have been halted, with a census of Tainan's creeks, lagoons and fishponds counting over 1,000 birds in the winter of 2007/2008.
Normally they are to be seen grouped together on mudflats or shallow water in the middle of the main lagoon. Black-faced spoonbills are similar to the world's five other spoonbill species - including the roseate of North and South America, they sweep partly open bills through water and silt to catch small fish and invertebrates such as prawns.
October to March is the most reliable time to view the spoonbills in Chiku. Smaller numbers may be spotted in the neighboring areas of Sitsao and the Aogu wetlands. The viewing area/visitor center is a long way from the nearest village, and public transport is virtually non-existent. If requiring a tour there from downtown Tainan, or Tainan High Speed Rail station contact us at ecologytaiwan@gmail.com
Other bird species sometime spotted in or around the Chiku spoonbill reserve:
Ciconia ciconia (endangered)
Platalea minor (endangered)
Falco peregrinus (endangered)
Egretta eulophotes
Ciconia nigna
Threskiornis melanocephalus
Anas formosa
Accipiter virgatus
Accipiter soloensis
Butastur indicus
Circus aeruginosus
Circus cyaneus
Milvus migrans
Pernis ptilorhynchus
Pandion haliaetus
Falco tinnunculus
Rostratula benghalensis
Glareola maldirarus
Sterna albifrons
Asio flammeus
Ninox scutulata
Garrulax canorus
Pica pica
Myiophoneus insularis
Lanius cristatus
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