• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description (2001 baseline)
Extent of this site: situated in a marshy wetland area on the north side of where the Chihben River empties into the sea. It was formerly the main channel of the Chihben River, and carries the water from the Shemagan River. The current aquatic area is more than 20 ha; in addition, the scope of the site includes protection forests, sea beaches, and the Chihben Estuary. The Chihben wetlands are at an early successional stage of a marshland ecosystem. Dominant wetland plants include Phragmites communis, Typha SP., Barect Grass Leersia hexandra, Broad-leaved Bow Grass Cyrtococcum accrescens, and Armgrass Oplisrnenus compositus. Because development by the Jiedier Company has not proceeded, the sand and gravel brought by estuarine waves and tides have closed the Chihben Wetland’s outlet channel, and the wetland has begun to recover. The marsh again shows vitality; fish, molluscs, and bird species are breeding in this area. It is a surviving natural treasure on the southeast coast of Taiwan.

Key biodiversity
IBA Al criterion species: Chinese Egrets are passage migrants with a maximum count of 22 birds (April 1996). • At this site. 207 species have been recorded. The maximum number of the endemic Formosan Bulbul recorded here was 162 birds. • This site provides an excellent wetland habitat for waterbirds and in addition to the resident birds, stable numbers are recorded annually of Spoon-billed Sandpiper and other migrants. The maximum number of Violet-backed Starling passing through is over 1,000 birds.

Non-bird biodiversity: • At this site, 18 of protected species have been recorded.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Chihben Wetlands (Taiwan, China). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/chihben-wetlands-iba-taiwan-china on 25/11/2024.