Guantian Watercock Ecological Education Park Introduction
The Guantian Swamphen Conservation Area is located in the Guantian District. It was established with sponsorship from the High-Speed Rail and officially renamed the Guantian Swamphen Ecological Education Park after being taken over by the Tainan City Government's Agricultural Bureau. It is gradually moving towards ecological education and tourism. The park is not only rich in aquatic plants but also boasts a variety of waterbird species. Among these, the most important bird species is the Purple Swamphen, which coexists with the water chestnut fields. With a telescope, visitors can observe the ecological wonders of the Purple Swamphen here, attracting many birdwatchers. The Purple Swamphen seen in Taiwan is the only one among the eight species worldwide that has different forms of breeding plumage (summer plumage) and non-breeding plumage (winter plumage), and it exhibits migratory behavior. At one time, sightings were reported in Yilan, Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Changhua, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, and Taitung. Due to land development and environmental destruction, it is now only found in the water chestnut fields in the lowland areas between the Bajhang River and the Zengwen River in Tainan. The Council of Agriculture announced the Purple Swamphen as a second-class rare and valuable conservation animal in 1989.
