Black-Faced Spoonbill, Taijiang

Taijiang National Park holds a statistic that defines its global importance: each winter, its coastal wetlands host more Black-Faced Spoonbills (Platalea minor) than all other wintering grounds on Earth combined. The 2025 global synchronised census counted 6,162 individuals worldwide; Tainan’s lagoons sheltered approximately 3,200 of them — a concentration that makes this single park the decisive site for a species that numbered just 288 birds in 1990. This density is 30% higher than the second-largest wintering site in Korea. Spoonbills arrive from late October and remain through March, feeding in shallow water with the distinctive side-to-side bill sweeps that give the species its name. The Siwaogu Ecological Reserve’s purpose-built observation towers, equipped with fixed spotting scopes, allow views from within 50 metres without disturbance. Taijiang charges no entry fee, making the quality of a visit a function purely of timing rather than budget. Dawn sessions in December and January offer the densest bird concentrations and best photographic light.