ULSAN — The fairy pitta, a summer migratory bird designated as a natural monument and a Class II endangered wild species, has been spotted for the first time in city parks in Ulsan. It marks the first time the legally protected species, previously observed only in forested areas on the city's outskirts, has been captured in photographs and video at urban parks frequented by residents.
The Ulsan city government said on the 19th that residents recently spotted and photographed fairy pittas at Ulsan Grand Park and Hakseong Park.
According to the city, a fairy pitta feeding near a walking trail at the south gate of Ulsan Grand Park was captured by a resident's camera on Sept. 9. On Sept. 11, another resident found a bird resting under a tree near the summit of Hakseong Park and recorded it in photographs and video.
The fairy pitta is a summer migrant that visits Ulsan to breed. Since its full breeding process was documented on video in a forest near Beomseo-eup, Ulju-gun, in 2016, the species has been observed mainly in mountainous areas on the city's outskirts, including Hoeya Dam, Mount Sinbulsan and Mount Gajisan. There had been reports of its call being heard at Ulsan Grand Park and elsewhere, but no case of the bird itself being photographed in a city park.
The fairy pitta (Pitta nympha) takes its Korean name, meaning "eight-color bird," from its multicolored plumage — a reddish-brown head, blue-green back, indigo rump, pale yellow breast and flanks, and a red lower belly. It breeds in Korea, southeastern China, Taiwan and Japan, and winters around the island of Borneo. In Korea, it arrives in mid-May, builds nests on the floor of dense, humid forests and lays four to five eggs in early to mid-June. It feeds on earthworms and insects while raising its young, then heads south in late September.
In Korea, the bird is designated a natural monument and a Class II endangered wild species by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. Internationally, it is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
"The ecological environment of our city parks has improved to the point where an endangered bird can be captured by a resident's camera," said Hong Seung-min, head of Jjaekjjaek Rest Stop, a local birdwatching group whose Korean name means "chirp-chirp rest stop." "But because there is a high risk of birds colliding with the glass windows of buildings and shops downtown, careful protection measures are needed."
"As everyday birdwatching and recording have taken root among residents, we were able to confirm the presence of a rare migratory bird in the city," an Ulsan city official said. "We will continue to cultivate the ecological environment so that more wild birds can coexist with residents in urban areas."