Power line strikes by Black-necked Cranes and Bar-headed Geese in Tibet Autonomous Region

Li, Fengshan; Bishop, Mary Anne; Tsamchu, Drolma

doi:10.5122/cbirds.2011.0028

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…These power lines are set back from the wetland, being located just north of the Yushu-Zhiduo Highway, and to date there have been no reports of cranes striking them. However, these power lines do pose a threat to large birds that have limited ability to swiftly change flight course when encountering hard-tosee obstacles, and records of black-necked cranes hitting similar power lines do exist (eg see Li 2002;Li et al 2011). Nevertheless, this hazard can be easily mitigated by mounting these power lines with colorful markers that allow cranes and other large birds to see them from a distance (Li et al 2011).…”

Section: Current Threats To Cranesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Black-necked Cranes of the Longbao National Nature Reserve, Qinghai, China

Farrington¹,

Zhang²

2013

Mountain Research and Development

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This study is the first to have surveyed the population of black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) at the Longbao National Nature Reserve, Qinghai, China, throughout most of the 7.5 month annual crane residence period, with 17 crane counts having been made on the reserve's main wetland between 6 April and 16 November 2011. In 2011, the first cranes are believed to have arrived at Longbao at the end of March, and the last are believed to have departed between 7 and 11 November. The peak adult black-necked crane count was 216 on 25 April, while the low count was 81 on 23 October, which increased to 153 during migration staging on 6 November. This represents a 9-fold increase in the peak annual adult crane count since the earliest known count from 1984. Twenty-nine nests were observed in the survey area in May and June, and on 12 September 2011, 21 of 29 nesting pairs had surviving chicks, with 9 crane pairs having a pair of surviving chicks, while 12 crane pairs had a single surviving chick. Threats to cranes at Longbao include untied dogs, which harass breeding cranes, eat eggs, and kill chicks; recently erected power lines along the wetland, which may prove hard for cranes to see and avoid; and disturbance of nesting cranes from humans and their livestock. Other threats include climate change, which is drying up shallow wetlands in the Longbao region and elsewhere on the Tibetan Plateau, and severe degradation of hillslope pastures, which is forcing local herders to keep their yaks on the main wetland pastures for longer periods each year and will inevitably cause increased disturbance to cranes and further degradation of the wetland. The Longbao Wetland presently qualifies for Ramsar designation based on its black-necked crane population under Ramsar Criteria 2 and 6.

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Section: Current Threats To Cranesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Black-necked Cranes of the Longbao National Nature Reserve, Qinghai, China

Farrington¹,

Zhang²

2013

Mountain Research and Development

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“…Power line collisions by Black-necked Cranes, as well as other waterbirds such as the Bar-headed Goose, will become more frequent and could become an important source of mortality, especially when power lines are sited near important roost and foraging areas. We recommend that mitigation of existing power lines and future power line installations include marking devices (flight diverters) to reduce collisions by increasing the visibility of the power lines (Li et al, 2011).…”

Section: Management Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Number and distribution of Black-necked Cranes wintering in Zhigatse Prefecture, Tibet

Bishop¹,

Tsamchu²,

Li³

2012

Chinese Birds

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We surveyed all known wintering areas of the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in Zhigatse Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region during three winters. Our surveys confirm that Zhigatse Prefecture is the most important wintering area for the species, accounting in some years for as much as 39% of the estimated world population. Counts ranged from a high of 4240 cranes in January 2007 to a low of 2636 in February 2009. Chick recruitment (chicks/100 cranes) ranged from 8.2 (January 2010) to 11.3 (January 2007). The highest concentration of cranes during all three surveys occurred on the 60 km stretch of the Yarlung Tsangpo (River) between Lhaze and Phuntsoling. To evaluate potential impacts of the Xietongmen Copper Mine, we monitored wintering crane numbers prior to mine installation in an intensive study area located between the Shab Chu Valley and the city of Zhigatse. Our surveys recorded on average 820 ± 83 cranes (SE; n = 8) in this area. With the installation of the mine at a location ~50 km west of Zhigatse, increased traffic and development on the north side of the Yarlung River will likely result in a shift in crane distribution away from the north side, to nearby suitable habitats. Based on our survey results, we recommend three areas hosting high numbers of cranes in the vicinity of the mine be added to the Yarlung Tsangpo Middle Reaches Blacknecked Crane Nature Reserve. These areas are Nierixiong and Jiaqingze Villages in Nierixiong Xiang and the Shab Chu Valley.

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“…In the past five years, some economic development projects have been implemented in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin, including the conversion of wetlands (lakes and rivers) into farmland and development zones, the conversion of farmland into areas containing greenhouses for vegetable cultivation, and the construction of expressways (Lhasa to Shigatse and Lhasa to Nyingchi) and railways (Lhasa to Shigatse), which inevitably destroy the local landscape and bring more human interference (Tsering et al 2009;Li et al 2011;Wu 2011;Wang et al 2015). However, whether these activities pose threats to the wintering populations and habitats of Black-necked Cranes remains unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population dynamics and habitat use of the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin, Tibet, China

Zhang³

et al. 2019

Avian Res

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Background: The Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) is an internationally threatened crane living on the plateau, mainly in winter, in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin in Tibet, western China. In the past five years, some economic development projects have been conducted in this area, posing potential threats to the wintering populations of the cranes and their habitats. Therefore, the current population dynamics of wintering Black-necked Cranes and habitat suitability in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin were investigated. Methods: Twenty counties were surveyed using the line transect method in December 2017 and January 2018, and we recorded the location, flock size, number of individuals, habitat types and presence of human disturbance in which they occurred. We compared the results from the middle wintering period in this survey with those from 2014. Results: The highest number of cranes recorded was 8291, and the results showed that the cranes were mainly distributed in Lhaze, Namling, Samzhubze, and Lhunzub. A total of 577 and 495 flocks were recorded in the early and middle wintering periods, respectively. In the early wintering period, there were significant differences in the number of individuals across the different habitats, with crop stubble land and plowed land representing more than 30% of the total habitat utilization. In the middle wintering period, there were also significant differences in the number of individuals, and the utilization of crop stubble land represented over 60% of the total. Conclusions: Wintering Black-necked Cranes mainly fed on spilled grains in stubble habitat after harvest. In the middle wintering period, some of the farmlands were plowed and irrigated, which resulted in food shortages in these areas, and the cranes tended to gather in mixed flocks of large size instead of as a single family. There were still considerable regional wintering populations decreases in Quxu, Nedong, and Sakya in 2018 compared with 2014, and these decreases were mainly due to some recently emerging threats, including farmlands being converted into areas of greenhouse cultivation, highway and railway construction, river dredging, the rapid development of the manufacturing and mining industries, and the lack of protection of important wintering sites.

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Power line strikes by Black-necked Cranes and Bar-headed Geese in Tibet Autonomous Region

Cited by 8 publications

References 3 publications

The Black-necked Cranes of the Longbao National Nature Reserve, Qinghai, China

The Black-necked Cranes of the Longbao National Nature Reserve, Qinghai, China

Number and distribution of Black-necked Cranes wintering in Zhigatse Prefecture, Tibet

Population dynamics and habitat use of the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin, Tibet, China

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