TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (農業部林業及自然保育署) announced a record high of 1,033 black kites in Taiwan, based on their recently published 2025 survey. This marks a significant recovery from the population of fewer than 200 recorded in 1992. The agency attributes this resurgence to improved habitat integrity and food sources.
The agency has observed black kites expanding their range beyond core areas, with Keelung's Shen'ao (深澳) and Ruibin (瑞濱) regions recording stable roosting sites for the first time in about 30 years. This expansion indicates a positive trend in the distribution of the species across northern coastal and riverine areas, Pingtung County's mountainous regions, and central regions like Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) and the Hushan Reservoir (湖山水庫).
Since 2013, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency has collaborated with the avian ecology lab at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (屏東科技大學) to monitor black kite populations and promote educational initiatives. The Raptor Research Group of Taiwan (台灣猛禽研究會) further supports these efforts by organizing the largest citizen science monitoring network in the country and conducting annual, synchronized surveys in autumn and winter.
The agency has implemented ecological service payments, friendly agriculture, and high-concentration pesticide control to create a healthy habitat and safe food supply for the black kites. This approach has successfully halted the decline in their numbers. The agency emphasized that black kites are apex predators and indicator species in the ecosystem. This means that maintaining habitats for black kites is equivalent to protecting the human living environment and the foundation for sustainable development.