SUPPORTED PROJECTS

Wintering ecology of hooded crane at Chongming Dongtan, China

Chi Yeung Choi

The hooded crane is a vulnerable species globally and only 10% of the total population can sustain themselves in natural habitats without supplementary feeding during winter. About 100 hooded cranes winter in Chongming Dongtan, which is one of the few natural wintering grounds remaining for the species, but their future there is far from secure. Habitat loss, potential decline in food resources, human disturbances and the increasing dependent on farmland are alarming signs that urgent actions should be taken to quantify the food availability for cranes and the reasons for their change in feeding habits. Quadrat sampling, exclusion cage experiment and behaviour observations will be carried out to answer these questions and these will provide scientific basics to improve the management plan for Hooded Cranes in the reserve.