Society

60k nests make birds of a feather flock together

By Zhao Chenyan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-04-18 16:11

Beijing has built more than 60,000 man-made bird's nests in the city's gardens and forest farms in the past ten years, attracting over 20,000 pairs of birds to settle down and nest in the capital each year, Beijing Daily reported on Monday.

An official with the Bird Lovers' Association said that most of the nests are hung in Beijing's Yuandadu Relics Park, Beijing Zoo, Summer Palace, Eight Scenes Park, Badaling Cemetery, Lingshan Scenic Area and around the Miyun Reservoir and Huairou Reservoir.

According to monitoring, 36 percent of the nests have been used and a higher occupation rate can be seen every April and May during bird breeding season, the official said.

Tits, sparrows, woodpeckers and phoenicurus auroreus are the most common tenants of the man-made nests.

Owing to a better environment, currently 354 species of birds can be observed in Beijing, an increase of 40 from 10 year ago, the official added.