Shanghai’s first popular science exhibition of birds opens in shopping center

By:Xu Yiran  |  From:english.eastday.com  |  2019-01-09 09:39

How long does it take for a chicken to break its shell? How many times a second do different kinds of birds flap their wings to fly? What is the reed parrotbills’ favorite food?

Answers to all these questions can be found in the "Magic Bird Camp" exhibition, which opened on January 5. Interestingly, this exhibition, planned by the Shanghai Natural History Museum (a branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum) for children aged 3-8, is not located in a popular science venue, but has been moved to a business district in Pudong.

The whole camp covers about 200 square meters, consisting of four thematic exhibition halls that resemble yurts, and an educational activity area. Visitors can experience the “appearance, food, shelter and mobility” of birds in an immersive environment. In the Masquerade exhibition area, audiences can design appearances for the red and green macaws and the great bird of paradise, or wear cloaks and bird-like hats to play at being a bird. At the dining table in the Bird Restaurant exhibition area, "guests" such as whale storks and white spoonbills have been seated, waiting for audiences to serve them appropriate delicacies. The most popular part of the exhibition is the artificial incubator in the Experimental Site exhibition area. Rows of eggs and several fluffy chickens vividly show which comes first between the chicken and the egg. Also, audiences can intuitively know the humidity, temperature, time and other conditions required for bird hatching.

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Rare sighting of marked spoon-billed sandpiper on migration

Spoon-billed sandpiper spotted on migration 5000 kilometres from nesting location

September 2013. A rare sighting of a marked spoon-billed sandpiper on migration has been reported from Rudong mudflats north of Shanghai. The critically endangered bird was identified by a lime green plastic flag on its leg marked ‘01' that was attached by scientists from Birds Russia on its breeding grounds this summer. 

Major contribution to the survival of his species

Conservationists know that this bird ‘Lime 01' fathered six fledglings this summer - three that were hand-reared by conservationists and three that he raised himself - which is 10 times the average for the species.

In all, this summer sixteen hand-reared spoon-billed sandpiper fledglings and eight adults were marked with uniquely inscribed plastic leg flags. Birdwatchers are being asked to report all sightings of spoon-billed sandpipers.

Extremely important stop over site for the spoon-billed sandpiper

Coordinator of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force, Christoph Zöckler said: "The Rudong mudflats are an extremely important stop over site for the spoon-billed sandpiper to rest and feed and it is very exciting news that our Russian breeding birds have been sighted there. Unfortunately these mudflats, like much coastal wetland along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, are threatened by the development. Alongside illegal trapping and hunting, it has pushed these birds to the edge."

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