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Birding Ruoergai, Sichuan, China

10,000 Birds

The HBW even mentions the importance of Ruoergai for this species: “Key sites for migrants include the Ruoergai Plateau (China), which is also an important breeding area” Common Mergansers also seem to use these wetlands as breeding area.

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Birding Balangshan (peak area) in June 2023

10,000 Birds

If such human food is not available, the Yellow-billed Chough goes back to its original diet of (at least in Europe) grasshoppers, as described here. This species might indeed merit a bit more research – the only paper I found on its breeding looked at only 7 nests (of which 3 failed). Being wet seems to help, though.

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Birding Shanghai in February 2023

10,000 Birds

I am not sure about the security situation in Iraq these days but at least some people do ornithological research there – resulting in papers such as one titled “Breeding observations of the Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaines , 1789) in Iraq” Impressive.

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