The Kinmen National Park Headquarters (the Headquarters), under the
National Park Service of the Ministry of the Interior, has, since 2026,
incorporated satellite tracking of rehabilitated raptors into its bird rescue
management system. This initiative extends rescue efforts from medical care to
scientific monitoring. Initial tracking results show that the Eastern buzzard
(Buteo japonicus) exhibits strong site fidelity, while the Short-eared owl
(Asio flammeus) uses granite vegetation areas in addition to farmland as
concealed habitats. These findings highlight the importance of Kinmen’s diverse
landscapes for raptor conservation and mark another key milestone in its
conservation efforts.

The Headquarters noted that the project commissions the Kinmen Wildlife
Rehabilitation and Conservation Association to carry out rescue operations.
With technical guidance from the Taiwan Raptor Research Group,
satellite-transmitter data enable comparison of the wintering behaviors of the
two raptor species in Kinmen. After release, the Eastern buzzard demonstrated
extremely high site fidelity, frequently foraging in the Zhongshan Forest area
during the day and roosting at night in woodlands south of Taoyuan Road,
indicating that the area provides stable food sources and suitable habitat.

In contrast, the Short-eared owl exhibited a wide range of movement, with
activity spanning Jinsha Township and Jinhu Township—from Guanao in the north
to Nanshihu Park in the south. Notably, while past records suggested that
Short-eared owls primarily prefer farmland grasslands, this monitoring revealed
that the individual often chose to roost during the day in granite bedrock
vegetation areas above the Granite Hospital, challenging previous assumptions
about its habitat preferences.

The Headquarters stated that past raptor rescue efforts mainly focused on
medical treatment and release. By incorporating satellite tracking into
monitoring, it is now possible not only to confirm whether rehabilitated
individuals successfully return to the wild, but also to provide scientific
data for future habitat management in Kinmen. As the migration season
approaches from late winter to early spring, continued tracking of their
northward movements is expected to contribute valuable data to raptor migration
research.

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[Rescue Tips] What
should you do if you find an injured bird?

If you encounter a wild bird that is injured, entangled, or unable to fly,
please follow these steps:

Observe first; do not disturb: Determine whether it is a fledgling
learning to fly. If there are no obvious injuries and parent birds are nearby,
keep your distance and observe.
Do not feed or handle the bird yourself: Avoid improper feeding or
treatment that could cause further harm.
Provide temporary shelter and report the case: If the bird is in
immediate danger (e.g., in the middle of a road), place it in a box temporarily
and contact the following organizations immediately:

Kinmen National Park Headquarters, National Park Service, Ministry of the
Interior: +886-82-313100
Kinmen Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation Association:
+886-82-333580 (or via Facebook message)

The recovered Eastern buzzard is released back into the wild with a
transmitter attached, regaining its majestic form.
Researchers attach a transmitter to the Eastern buzzard.
The healed Short-eared owl returns to the sky carrying a satellite
transmitter.
The Short-eared owl spreads its wings and soars.