Two varieties of migratory bird that travels between Russia and Southeast Asia have been found in Taean-gun County in Chungcheongnam-do.

A short-tailed bush warbler and a black-browed reed warbler were both identified at Hagampo in Taeanhaean National Park, announced the Korea National Park Service (KNPS) on July 4.

The short-tailed bush warbler was found in Taean-gun earlier in April. This migratory species spends winters in Taiwan, southeastern China and Myanmar, and travels to breed on the Korean Peninsula, in northeastern China, southern Sakhalin, the southern Kuril Islands and in Japan in the summertime.

The bird was identified by a metal ring on its leg that was attached by Russia's Bird Ringing Center in Primorsky Krai in August 2013. The bird found in Taean is presumably on its route north to breed, after spending the winter in Southeast Asia, said the KNPS.

The black-browed reed warbler found last month in Taean is a migratory bird that travels back north to breed in northeastern China, along the Ussuri River and in Sakhalin after spending the winter in southern China, Thailand and Myanmar. The metal ring attached to the warbler's leg placed the bird in Thailand in May. The warbler's route from Thailand has now been identified for the first time, said the KNPS.

"We are now beginning to see new migratory bird routes," said the national park service, which has been conducting research in Taean over the past two years into migratory routes by attaching metal rings to bird legs. The parks service also said that, "Taean's Hagampo is one of the key locations along migratory birds' routes for traveling and breeding," and that it would expand research into protecting homes and space for migratory bird species.

By Chang Iou-chung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Korea National Park Service
icchang@korea.kr