Rare glossy ibis spotted in Hotan, NW China's Xinjiang

On September 14, 2026, a rare visitor was spotted in the rice paddies east of a reservoir in Ying'airike Township, Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where birdwatchers successfully observed a glossy ibis, a species under first-class national protection in China. This marks the second documented record of this rare bird in the Hotan Prefecture since 2019.

On that day, birdwatcher Shi Lingyun was the first to detect signs of the glossy ibis, after which Chen Wenjie, a member of the Xinjiang Wildlife Conservation Association, visited the site and confirmed the sighting. Observations showed the elegant bird foraging leisurely in the shallow water of the rice paddies and pausing to rest, exhibiting calm and undisturbed behavior.

The rice-paddy wetland supports a favorable ecological environment and harbors abundant aquatic organisms, including bullfrogs and crucian carp. With such plentiful food resources, the area serves an excellent stopover for migratory glossy ibises passing through, making the habitat a high-quality temporary stopover along their migration route.

As a species under first-class national protection in China, the glossy ibis has an extremely small population and stringent habitat requirements. It is highly sensitive to wetland water quality, aquatic environmental conditions, and food availability, making it an important "ecological sentinel" for assessing regional ecosystem quality. Glossy ibises favor shallow-water habitats, such as rice paddies, marshes, and shoals and mudflats of rivers and lakes, and depend on clean aquatic environments for survival and reproduction. The species' reappearance in Hotan after several years therefore represents not only a valuable observation record but also an occurrence of considerable significance for ecological research.

The repeated presence of rare bird species provides a vivid reflection of the achievements of ecological conservation in Hotan. In recent years, Hotan has continued to advance ecological protection and restoration, strengthened routine management and conservation of rivers, lakes, and wetlands, and intensified efforts to safeguard wildlife habitats. Through systematic ecological management, the integrated ecosystem comprising rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and rice paddies has continued to improve, with increasingly stable aquatic environments, growing biological resources, and steadily enhanced ecological carrying capacity. Hotan has become an important stopover for numerous rare migratory birds. The successive appearance of uncommon species, including snow pigeon, Indian paradise flycatcher, and glossy ibis, further highlights the region's increasingly favorable ecological conditions.

To strengthen the protection of wildlife, local authorities have established routine, region-wide patrol and prevention mechanisms based on ecological policing stations. These efforts include rigorous enforcement against illegal hunting and other acts that harm wildlife, together with extensive public outreach and legal education on ecological conservation to enhance public awareness of bird protection and environmental stewardship.

(The Media Convergence Center of Hotan Prefecture, Reporter: Tang Haidong, Correspondent: Chen Wenjie)