Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13157/arla.65.2.2018.sc2
Authors: Muyang WANG, Manuel Antonio GONZÁLEZ, Weikang YANG, Peter NEUHAUS, Beatriz BLANCO-FONTAO and Kathreen E. RUCKSTUHL
E-mail: magong@unileon.es / yangwk@ms.xjb.ac.cn
Published: Volume 65.2, July 2018. Pages 291-297.
Language: English
Keywords: decline, Great Bustard, NW China and Otis tarda tarda
Summary:
The Great Bustard population in Xinjiang Province, the Chinese stronghold of Otis tarda tarda, is suspect to be declining, but little is known about its trends and numbers. Using the same methods, we compared two former published counts from the province (1988 and 1992) with ours (2013-2016), exhaustively covering the two known bustard areas of Tacheng (summer) and Qapqal (winter). A strong decline (92%) is reported, with a minimum 19 birds found in Tacheng and none in Qapqal. Cooperation between scientists is needed to study the causes of decline in O. t. tarda in Xinjiang and elsewhere.
