Incheon, February 6 - The National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR; President Suh Min-hwan), an affiliate institute of the Ministry of Environment (ME), announced that mute swans, a Level I endangered species, were spotted in Korea for the first time, migrating from Mongolia for the winter season. A mute swan is a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae and rare winter migratory birds. Around 30 swans fly to Korea for winter. Their whole body is white, the lower part of their orange beak is black in color, and there is a black hump on the eye area.

Since the NIBR National Migratory Birds Center signed a research agreement with Wildlife Science and Conservation Center (WSCC) of Mongolia in 2017, they have traced the movement of migratory birds who breed in the eastern region of Mongolia. The researchers could trace the mute swans' migration routes for the first time. On July 14, 2021, Mongolian researchers attached a location tracker on a mute swan inhabiting Buir Lake, a breeding ground of migratory birds located in the eastern region of Mongolia.

※ Although the NIBR research team was unable to conduct a joint survey in the area last year due to COVID-19, the Mongolian team used materials provided by the NIBR and a location tracker.

Based on the attached location tracker, the WSCC researchers were able to trace the migration route of the mute swan. After a series of tracks, the mute swan stayed around its breeding ground in Mongolia and has migrated from October 15 last year. It was ed that it flew over to Dongbeonpo, located near Dooman River in North Korea, on the following day. The mute swan then flew over to Gangneung of South Korea four days later, on October 20, and went back and forth around the East Coast and stayed there. Later on December 4, it flew towards the West Coast in Yeongjongdo Island in Incheon, continued to move towards Haean in Hwanghae-do (North Korea), Sihwa Lake in Ansan and Sapgyoho Lake in Dangjin, all the way towards Boryeong, and is currently staying in that area. It was ed that the mute swan traveled at least 2,691 km from October 15 since it left its habitat until January 12. It was first ed the migration route of a mute swan, an endangered species that breeds in Asia, between its breeding ground and wintering site. 

The director of the Biological Resources Research Department, Park Jinyoung, said, "As this is the very first case to track the migration route of a mute swan from its breeding ground in Mongolia to its wintering site in Korea, this is certainly a huge academic achievement." He also added, "In the future, we will continue to expand our research activities by also looking at unresearched routes of other migratory birds and contribute to their conservation."

What kind of bird is a mute swan? 

A mute swan (Cygnus olor) is categorized in the same bird family as ducks and is considered a level I endangered species. 

It is a large swan with a body that spans around 152 cm. Its body is white, and its beak is orange, while the base of its beak and hump area around its eyes are black. On a cygnet, the hump is not as visible, and its body and beak are grey in color, while the base of the beak and area around the eyes is black, and its feather is greyish. It bends its neck, points its beak towards the water, and uses its wings to swim.

They are scattered around northern Europe, northern Africa, south-central Russia, Mongolia, Japan, and India. They breed around midwestern Europe, Mongolia, and areas around Lake Baikal and Ussuri River in Russia. It migrates to western Asia, northern Africa, eastern China, and Korea during the winter season. In the past, it used to migrate around lagoons in the northern part of Gangwon-do Province, but there is no spotting of the mute swan in that area recently.

Contact: Hwang Jae-woong, Researcher

National Migratory Birds Center, NIBR

032-590-7358