Beijing swifts Photo: VCG

A total of 89 Beijing swifts have undergone banding during a routine annual "health check" at Beijing's Summer Palace.

Staff members used professional mist-netting techniques to capture the swifts without causing them any harm. The birds were then promptly transferred to a measurement station, where specialists fitted each one with a uniquely numbered metal leg band issued by the National Bird Banding Center of China. They also recorded the biological data of the birds, including body weight and body length. After the banding and data collection process was completed, the birds were carefully released back into the wild, CCTV News reported.

Bird banding is widely regarded as an important method for tracking migration routes and migration behavior among migratory species. Since the 1990s, researchers have conducted annual banding work on Beijing swifts at the Summer Palace's Kuoru Pavilion, according to CCTV News.

Swift banding involves fitting the birds with metal leg bands, light-level geolocators or satellite tracking devices to monitor information such as migration routes, life cycles and population characteristics. The annual banding program is usually carried out from late May to early June, according to CCTV News.

Beijing swifts have been nesting at the Summer Palace for many years. Every spring, the birds travel more than 10,000 kilometers from southern Africa to Beijing, arriving around mid-April. They build nests beneath the eaves of the palace's historic buildings, where they breed and raise their young before departing again to the south in July and August, according to the People's Daily.

Shi Yang, a member of the Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, said a total of 89 Beijing swifts were banded during this operation, including 23 newly banded individuals and 66 previously marked birds that were recaptured, resulting in a recapture rate of 74 percent. It demonstrates a strong tendency for Beijing swifts to return to the same nesting sites and suggests that the population has continued to reproduce under relatively stable ecological conditions, the People's Daily reported.

Kuoru Pavilion is considered one of the species' most important habitats in Beijing and has become a popular location for both scientific observation and public birdwatching. To minimize disturbances to nesting birds, the Summer Palace has implemented closed protection measures around the pavilion since 2019, according to the People's Daily.

Beijing swifts' strong attachment to the Summer Palace is closely linked to specific habitat conditions, Zhang Mingxiang, a professor at the School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, told the Global Times.

Within the palace complex, spaces between bracket sets in tall historic structures provide numerous crevices and cavities suitable for the birds to cling to, matching their unique foot structure of four forward-facing toes. Meanwhile, the waters of the site's Kunming Lake support large populations of flying insects, providing an abundant food source for feeding their chicks, Zhang explained.

From serving as the inspiration for "Nini," one of the mascots of the 2008 Olympic Games, to becoming the first digital image used in Beijing's bid for the inscription of its Central Axis as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Beijing swifts have come to symbolize the ancient capital as both a unique ecological emblem and a form of living cultural heritage, said Zhang.

According to a representative from the Summer Palace's public education department, the park has also strengthened conservation efforts by providing specialized training for patrol staff. During the fledging period, staff provide prompt assistance to young Beijing swifts that occasionally fall from their nests. Rescuers immediately step in to provide care, including rehydration and warming, to ensure the birds can be returned to the wild as quickly as possible.

In addition, the Summer Palace has also expanded public education programs. Around International Children's Day each year, the park hosts exhibitions featuring educational displays and Beijing swift models and organizes public welfare explanations, the People's Daily reported.