Effect of colonial breeding of Chinese Egret(Egretta eulophotes) on the heavy metal accumulation in heronry soil

We measured the concentrations of heavy metal elements,i.e.,V,Cr,Mn,Ni,Cu,Zn,Cd,Se and Pb and the semi-metal element As in feces of Chinese Egret(Egretta eulophotes)on Caiyu Island in Zhangpu County,Fujian Province,China using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) and compared the differences between the topsoil of their nesting and non-nesting areas before and after breeding.The results show that no Se and Cd was detected in any of the samples,including feces and soil,while heavy metal concentrations in the non-nesting soil were not significantly different before and after breeding(p > 0.05),but the differences in concentrations of Zn and Pb in the nesting soil were highly significant before and after breeding(p < 0.01).A comparison of the concentrations of the elements in the nesting and non-nesting soils also reveals that before breeding,the concentration of Zn in these two soils were significantly different(p < 0.01).After breeding,concentrations of Cu,Zn,As and Pb in the nesting and non-nesting soil were significantly different(p < 0.01) while V and Ni concentrations showed merely significant differences(p < 0.05).These findings indicate that the colonial breeding activities of E.eulophotes play an important role in the transfer of heavy metals between wetland and island eco-systems and that such activities may,over time,result in heavy metal contamination of the heronry soil on the island.

Autumn migration routes and wintering areas of juvenile Chinese Egrets(Egretta eulophotes)revealed by GPS tracking

Background:The vulnerable Chinese Egret(Egretta eulophotes)is a long-distance migratory waterbird whose migration and wintering information is poorly understood.This study aims to identify the autumn migration routes and wintering areas of juvenile Chinese Egrets and determine the migration movement traits of this species.Methods:Thirty-nine juvenile Chinese Egrets from the Fantuozi Island,an uninhabited offshore island with a large breeding colony of Chinese Egrets in Dalian,China,were tracked using GPS/GSM transmitters.Some feathers from each tracked juvenile were collected for molecular identification of sex in the laboratory.The GPS locations,recorded at 2-h intervals from August 2018 to May 2020,were used for the analyses.Results:Of the 39 tracked juveniles,30 individuals began their migration between September and November,and 13 successfully completed their autumn migration between October and November.The juveniles migrated southward via three migration routes,coastal,oceanic and inland,mainly during the night.The migration duration,migration distance,flight speed,and stopover duration of the 13 juvenile egrets that completed migration averaged 5.08±1.04 days,3928.18±414.27 km,57.27±5.73 km/h,and 23.08±19.28 h,respectively.These juveniles wintered in the coastal wetlands of Southeast Asia including those in the Philippines,Vietnam,and Malaysia,and only one successfully began its spring migration in June 2020.Conclusions:This study newly finds that the oceanic route taken by juvenile Chinese Egrets,suggesting that the juveniles are able to fly over the Pacific Ocean without a stopover.Moreover,our novel data indicate that coastal wetlands along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway are important areas for both autumn migration stopover and the wintering of these juveniles,suggesting that international cooperation is important to conserve the vulnerable Chinese Egret and the wetland habitats on which it depends.

Migration and wintering of vulnerable adult Chinese Egrets(Egretta eulophotes)revealed by GPS tracking

Knowledge of migratory bird requirements is critical to developing conservation plans for vulnerable migratory species.This study aimed to determine the migration routes,wintering areas,habitat uses,and mortalities of adult Chinese Egrets(Egretta eulophotata).Sixty adult Chinese Egrets(31 females and 29 males)on an uninhabited offshore breeding island in Dalian,China were tracked using GPS satellite transmitters.GPS locations recorded at2 h intervals from June 2019 to August 2020 were used for analysis.A total of 44 and 17 tracked adults completed their autumn and spring migrations,respectively.Compared with autumn migration,tracked adults displayed more diverse routes,higher number of stopover sites,slower migration speed,and longer migration duration in the spring.Results indicated that migrant birds had different behavioral strategies during the two migratory seasons.The spring migration duration and stopover duration for females were significantly longer than those for males.A positive correlation existed between the spring arrival and spring departure dates,as well as between the spring arrival date and stopover duration.This finding indicated that the egrets that arrived early at the breeding grounds left the wintering areas early and had a shorter stopover duration.Adult birds preferred intertidal wetlands,woodlands,and aquaculture ponds during migration.During the wintering period,adults preferred offshore islands,intertidal wetlands,and aquaculture ponds.Adult Chinese Egrets showed a relatively low survival rate compared with most other common ardeid species.Dead specimens were found in aquaculture ponds,indicating human disturbance as the main cause of death of this vulnerable species.These results highlighted the importance of resolving conflicts between egrets and human-made aquaculture wetlands and protecting intertidal flats and offshore islands in natural wetlands through international cooperation.Our results contributed to the hitherto unknown annual spatiotemporal migration patterns of adult Chinese Egrets,thereby providing an important basis for the conservation of this vulnerable species.