Wild Beijing 北京自然
@BirdingBeijing
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Celebrating the wildlife of Beijing and beyond by @terrytownshend . TEDx speaker on biodiversity.
Beijing
Joined June 2012
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This animation shows the incredible migration of the BEIJING SWIFT. Each coloured dot is an individual bird tracked from the Summer Palace.
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You’ve all played spot the Snow Leopard. Now let’s play spot the Pallas’s Cat. It’s no wonder these cats are hard to see in the wild. Photo by 徐征泽.
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This is the poorly known CHINESE MOUNTAIN CAT (漠猫, mo mao), the only cat endemic to China. It inhabits alpine meadows and steppe from 2,800-4,100m on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. This 2018 footage courtesy of ShanShui Conservation Center.
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That moment when a SIBERIAN TIGER walls across the road in front of your car. In Heilongjiang, NE China.
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Wonderful camera trap footage of a family of PALLAS’S CATS from my friends in Xinjiang.
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Sometimes the hunter becomes the hunted. Eagle Owl with a Peregrine as prey. Photo via Yun FanLi.
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A beautiful Bay Owl photographed in Yunnan last night by local birder Zeng Ziangle.
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Incredible footage of one of the world's most poorly known felids - CHINESE MOUNTAIN CAT - from Qinghai Province. For the story, see
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Six weeks ago, after the latest round of training for the local community in the Valley of the Cats, Qinghai Province, I placed a camera trap high up on the mountains. Yesterday I retrieved it. Look what I found!
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Superb photo of PALLAS’S CAT from Xinjiang, northwest China. Courtesy of YaYa.
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Sometimes a SNOW LEOPARD’s impressive tail can be a liability..! Photo taken in Qinghai by local herders.
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Continuing the cat theme, here are two PALLAS'S CAT kittens (兔狲, Tù sūn) from Qinghai Province, China. This cat is crepuscular and rarely seen in daylight. Range includes C, N and W China, Mongolia, Russia, C Asia and the Middle East, as far west as Armenia.
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Stunning series of SNOW LEOPARD photographs by septuagenarian wildlife photographer Feng Gang taken in Sanjiangyuan pilot National Park on the Tibetan Plateau.
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A SNOW LEOPARD stalks a Magpie that gets a little too close to its kill... can you see it?
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A strange pink glow seen over the Tibetan Plateau yesterday for 4-5 hours then disappeared. Photos via Han Xuesong.
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Three years ago, this was the scene when a European Robin turned up in the grounds of the Beijing Zoo. Dubbed by locals at the time as a "Brexit refugee".
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This GREAT GREY OWL turns and looks at me as if to say “will you be quiet! I’m listening for my dinner..”
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As the Beijing Swifts (北京雨燕) arrive back from southern Africa, here's a slow-motion video taken at the Summer Palace (颐和园). Play with sound - the slowed-down calls are eerie!
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The jewel in the crown of Sanjiangyuan is, of course, the Snow Leopard (雪豹, Xue bao). If you are lucky, a visit to this special place may be rewarded with a sighting of this majestic and elusive cat. Last week, we were incredibly fortunate to encounter three together.
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Read about the first-ever discovery of an active den of one of the most poorly known cats in the world - the Chinese Mountain Cat (Felis bieti). Brilliant work by ShanShui Conservation Center at Peking University
@PKU1898
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Without a doubt my wildlife highlight of the year so far: not one, not two, not three but four swimming Leopard Cats (豹猫) today in Beijing. A mother and three well-grown kittens cross the lake as waterbirds look on.
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BREAKING: the capital’s 3rd ever EUROPEAN ROBIN was in the grounds of the Beijing Zoo on Tuesday. Photo by “翔” (Xiang). This is going to be crazy. Second photo the scene from the last one in Temple of Heaven Park in 2014.
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I think it's fair to say the spring passage of Citrine Wagtail (黄头鹡鸰, huáng-tóu jílíng, "yellow-headed wagtail") has begun in Beijing. More than 200 at Ma Chang today. An old Chinese name is 金香炉, jīn-xiāng lú, literally "gold incense burner".
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Asian Brown Bear near Yushu, Qinghai Province this afternoon. 🐻
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A stunning male KOKLASS PHEASANT by Xiao Wu in Shanxi Province.
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A big surprise to find a WALLCREEPER just five minutes from my apartment in Beijing today!
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Liu Ming, a villager from near Cangzhou in Hebei Province, has been protecting GREAT BUSTARDS in his home area for 20 years and has converted his vehicle into a portable bird hide where photographers can take stunning images of the 100+ birds on site in winter.
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The generic name for OWL in Chinese is "猫头鹰" (Māotóuyīng). The literal translation is "cat head eagle".
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As we head back to Beijing, here is the winning image from ShanShui’s
#NatureWatch2018
in the Valley of the Cats on the Tibetan Plateau. A stunning Snow Leopard by Hui Lang.
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ONON has made it! He has completed his crossing of the Arabian Sea to India and, for good measure, flown another 600km inland to Madhya Pradesh! That's c5000km since the last signal from Kenya on 29 April... I am exhausted just thinking about it!
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A sleepy male SNOW LEOPARD in the
#ValleyOfTheCats
. Video taken from beside the car at a distance of 160m using iPhone and
@SwarovskiOptik
ATX95 with adaptor.
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Wallcreeper (红翅旋壁雀, Hóng chì xuán bì què) is a scarce winter visitor in Beijing and possibly breeds in small numbers in the mountains.
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This female SNOW LEOPARD had just narrowly missed catching a Himalayan Marmot. It's hot work hunting at midday in the
#ValleyOfTheCats
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Two magnificent camera trap photos of LEOPARD from the Valley of the Cats. These camera traps are set up and maintained by local yak herders as part of ShanShui's community-based conservation project.
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This female SNOW LEOPARD only just failed to catch a marmot right In front of us at only 100m range in the
#ValleyOfTheCats
. She almost certainly has cubs and needs to hunt almost constantly to feed those hungry mouths.
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The scene at the site of the EUROPEAN ROBIN in the grounds of the Beijing Zoo this morning. Play with sound for full effect. Please be reassured I took this video from a public path.
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8 critically endangered SIBERIAN CRANES poisoned nr the Yellow River. Criminals target ducks&geese which they poison with carbofuran, collect, inject with antidote & send to S China for 'exotic food'. As a class 1 protected species, the criminals face stiff penalties if caught.
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Stunning photo of a NORTHERN HAWK OWL in Inner Mongolia by local guide, Zhang Wu.
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The Chinese name for Bluethroat is 蓝喉歌鸲, lán-hóu gē-qú, literally "blue-throated song-robin". Can't argue with that!
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Spectacular and rare daytime images of an Amur Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis, 豹猫, Bàomāo) taken at the ChaoBai River in Beijing by 齐春宏 (Qi Chunhong). Very few major capital cities are lucky enough to have wild cats - a jewel in the crown of Beijing's biodiversity.
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Two years ago today, around midday, this magnificent female Snow Leopard was hunting Himalayan Marmots in the meadows of the Tibetan Plateau. One of the most memorable encounters with the “grey ghost”, alongside
@biologistimo
and
@ShanCenter
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A strong candidate for the bird with the best hair-do in Beijing - Crested Kingfisher (冠鱼狗, Guān yú gǒu). An old Chinese name is 大啄鱼 (Dà zhuó-yú), literally "large fish-pecker".
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Reduced human activity due to the
#coronavirus
means we can hear the birds better! One of the most active in my compound right now is the Light-vented Bulbul (白头鹎, Bái tóu bēi). A vernacular name is 白头公, bái-tóu gōng, literally translated as 'white-headed old-man'.
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Losing BAYAN in Yunnan after his marathon migration from Africa is immensely sad but a reminder just how tough+demanding migration is for birds. And that is why we must protect the places they need along the way - an appropriate message for today
#BiodiversityDay2020
RIP BAYAN.
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Is it a bunting? Is it a finch? No, it’s a PINKTAIL! This beautiful bird is found on the Tibetan Plateau and nowhere else on Earth.
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What about this for urban birding?! A pitta on a balcony in Singapore... photo by Mr&Mrs Cheng.
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A well-grown juvenile COMMON CUCKOO in a BARN SWALLOW nest. The first time I have heard about BARN SWALLOW as a host species for COMMON CUCKOO in Beijing!
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If there is a tail, it must be pulled! Cheeky corvids are well-known for this behaviour... Taken in Beijing yesterday at Ming Tombs Reservoir using
@SwarovskiOptik
ATX95 telescope and iPhone6S.
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An Eagle Owl (雕鸮, Diāo xiāo) at Peking University today, with its customary 'escort' of corvids... Photo by Han Xuesong.
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A short clip of a mother Chinese Mountain Cat (Felis bieti 漠猫 Mò māo) with kittens. With distinctive blue eyes and short ear tufts, it is one of the world's least known cats with a distribution limited to Gansu, E Qinghai+NW Sichuan. Known as the "grassland lynx" by locals.
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Snow Leopards like to have fun, too! Check out the full video sequence at
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This male ORIENTAL PLOVER has just arrived in Beijing on its way from Australia to Mongolia. I think he deserves a little sit down..
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"One of the rarest Sandpipers on the China Coast. Has been seen at Foochow and occasionally found in the Shanghai market in Spring. I shot it in Sept on the Meihua Sands. Breeds in E Siberia and winters as far as India, Burma, and Borneo.” JDD La Touche (1935) Photo:Chen Tengyi
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What a privilege for Team Cuckoo to wake up to this each morning - a singing male YELLOW-BREASTED BUNTING by the camp at Khurkh, Mongolia.
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What a thrill to see a Red Panda (小熊猫) in the wild. These mammals feed mainly on bamboo but take advantage of berries and fruit during autumn. Their slow movements suggest they have all the time in the world.... and in winter they spend most of their time asleep in trees.
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Enjoying great views of SIBERIAN RUBYTHROATS is one of the highlights of birding in Beijing during Spring and Autumn. Look for them in parks with plenty of cover in April/May and again in Sep/Oct.
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"Birdwatching, for me, is not merely an interest, but also a way to view the world, and a forever lighthouse to light up my future path towards nature conservation." - Ariel Chen, 15.
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60 years ago today, Beijing began a war against sparrows as part of the “Four Pests campaign”. It was a disaster and a little over a year later they were importing sparrows from Russia to tackle the insect plague.
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Winter is the time for SOLITARY SNIPE in Beijing. Relatively fast flowing rivers with rocks and stones are good places to look.
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China is blessed with 32 species of owl. Here are some that can be found in Beijing and Inner Mongolia...
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A major irruption of Pallas's Sandgrouse (Syrrhaptes paradoxus 毛腿沙鸡 Máo tuǐ shā jī) in Beijing today. In just 3 hrs I counted an astounding 7,363 from Shunyi today, almost all heading W-SW, smashing the previous highest day count of 1,050. Others may have counted more.
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ORIENTAL PLOVERS stop over in Beijing on their way from wintering grounds in Australia to breeding grounds in Mongolia. These were at Ma Chang, Beijing, today! Photos by Zhang Weimin and Zhang Xiaoling.
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Drama over Beijing today - a White-tailed Eagle attempts to catch a Black Stork. What happened next?
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ONON is in Yemen. From the signals received it appears he’s taking a well-deserved break after his epic crossing of the Arabian Sea. More than 3,500km in 64 hours. That’s an average of more than 50km/h. 💪
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The beautiful song of the Yellow-breasted Bunting (黄胸鹀, huáng-xiōng wú). Now critically endangered, just one step away from extinction, primarily due to illegal hunting for food. A passage migrant in Beijing on its way to+from breeding grounds in Mongolia, Russia and N China.
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Fast food! This CITRINE WAGTAIL is refueling in Beijing on its way north..
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The first BEIJING SWIFTS have arrived in the capital! One was seen at the TongHuiHe on 1 Apr & nine over Baiwangshan on 10 Apr. Just a few weeks ago, they may have been circling over Cape Town and have since crossed Africa, Arabia and Central Asia.
#BeijingSpringWatch
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Just two hours south of Beijing there is a very special site holding at least 138 wintering GREAT BUSTARDS - the world's heaviest flying birds and classified as vulnerable to extinction.
@bustardgroup
@Otis_inglorius
@RareBirdAlertUK
@orientbirdclub
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More good news from China. New draft list of species w/ special protection uplists Baer's Pochard, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Yellow-breasted + Jankowski's Buntings (and more!) to Class I (highest level of protection). Publication due after 26 August 2019.
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With a restricted range centred around Beijing, this is one of the capital's most sought-after species for visiting birders. Introducing the Green-backed Flycatcher, 绿背姬鹟, Lǜ bèi jī wēng, literally translated as "green-backed lady flycatcher". Sound on!
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The whole of the world population of RELICT GULL relies on the intertidal mudflats of the Bohai Bay and Yellow Sea in winter, hence their classification as "Vulnerable" to extinction. Right now they're looking their best!
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So lucky to encounter this family of PALLAS'S CATS at Qinghai Lake this morning!
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A White's Thrush.. that's all.
今季は #トラツグミ に会えなかった。。。
去年の今頃は公園で何度も出会い録画撮りすぎてどボツにしたのを見て懐かしむ悲しげな顔
#トラダンス
＃WhitesThrush
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Lucky to find this singing TIBETAN BUNTING at a previously unknown site in Qinghai.
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A majestic male COMMON PHEASANT exactly where he should be - in a forest in China. Not bred in captivity before being introduced into a non-native country, simply to be shot for fun.
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This male TIBETAN BUNTING was singing in the rain next to the track in the
#ValleyOfTheCats
last week.
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Latest batch of SNOW LEOPARD camera trap photos from the yak herders in the Valley of the Cats, Qinghai Province.
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The Chinese name for Crested Kingfisher is 冠鱼狗, guān yú-gǒu, literally translated as 'crested fish-dog', a tribute to the birds' prowess at catching fish.
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The King of Gulls - the majestic PALLAS'S GULL - is a scarce passage migrant in Beijing. Three were at Shahe Reservoir yesterday, found and photographed by local young birder, Lou Fangzhou.
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PALLAS’S GULLS are simply stunning at this time of year.. but they sound as if they’re in pain!
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27/05 @ 1522 local time. After an epic 26,000km round trip incl 27 border crossings involving 16 countries, ONON is back at Khurkh Bird Banding Stn in N Mongolia, the place where he was fitted with his tag on 8 June 2019. Remarkable.
#HomeSweetHome
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The sheer effort put in by this tiny CHINESE LEAF WARBLER to belt out its song gets my total respect..!
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Latest from the yak herders in the Valley of the Cats on the Tibetan Plateau - a beautiful Eurasian Lynx!
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Here are some TIBETAN FOX (藏狐, Cáng hú) cubs playing, recorded near Yushu in Qinghai Province. In China this distinctive canid, usually diurnal and solitary, can be found in Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Xinjiang and Tibet and feeds mostly on pika.
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Following a long-awaited update, the critically endangered Yellow-breasted Bunting (黄胸鹀 Huáng xiōng wú) is now on the list of species with the highest level of protection in China.
@BirdLife_News
Read about it here:
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One of 22+ TIBETAN BUNTINGS in the garden of one of the yak herders in the
#ValleyOfTheCats
on 8 May. According to the herders, in snowy weather these birds descend from the high peaks to look for food around the domestic yak.
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Watch how this SOLITARY SNIPE, 孤沙锥,
gū shā-zhuī, reacts to a close pass by a NORTHERN GOSHAWK.
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ONON is in India!! Since 1 September he's flown c1500km west from Yunnan Province in China, crossing Myanmar and Bangladesh, and is now in Bihar... what a move!
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Those pesky corvids.. who'd be an eagle? This from a year ago at Ming Tombs Reservoir in Beijing.
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Five years ago this summer I made my first visit to Qinghai for a birthday treat, and was incredibly lucky to find a family of Pallas's Cats. Fortunately I had my
@SwarovskiOptik
ATX95 and iPhone adaptor with me, enabling me to record some of this precious encounter.
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The Chinese name for Baikal Teal is 花脸鸭, huā-liǎn yā, literally translated as "flowery-faced duck".
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The Chinese name for Wallcreeper is 红翅旋壁雀, hóng-chì xuán-bì-què, translated as 'red-winged wall-circling finch'.
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