QINGDAO has possibly become the winter habitat for the black-headed gull, a world endangered bird species, said Wang Ximing, a bird-protection expert. He said he recently observed seven of these birds in the city’s wetlands.

    “That was the first time I have seen a black-headed gull in Qingdao during my 30 years of studying birds. It was an honor to find the black-headed gull in Qingdao,” Wang said.

    It was a great discovery, Wang said. Historical records showed there had been black-headed gulls in Qingdao but there was no clear evidence. About 10 years ago, China organized a group of bird experts to look for the species in Qingdao, but they found nothing after a year, he said.

    Wang’s discovery took the number of winter bird species in Qingdao to 35. The bird watchers discovered from photos that of the seven black-headed gulls, three or four were chicks and that indicated the species was breeding in Qingdao.

    Experts would organize bird watching so residents can observe the birds, Wang said.

    (Jane Lai, Tian Lu)