Conserving Migratory Birds in Beijing

The "Out of Africa - Celebrating the Beijing Swifts" seminar held in the Belgian Residence in Beijing aimed to promote the conservation of migratory birds, particularly the Beijing Swifts, and their habitats. The event was attended by the Ambassador of Belgium to China, H.E. Bruno Angelet, and several Chinese scientists who have been studying the bird species. Ambassador Angelet expressed his love for birds and the surprise he experienced at the variety of birds in Beijing compared to Belgium. He emphasized the need for international scientific cooperation and hoped that embassies and their Chinese counterparts would join forces for this purpose. Chinese scientists shared the results of citizen science surveys to count the Swifts in Beijing, enabling a better understanding of the bird's population trends. The Beijing Swift, a migratory bird, spends three months in Beijing to breed before migrating to southern Africa for the northern hemisphere winter. According to Professor Zhao, it is a landmark species and one of the ecological symbols of Beijing.