Tatu Creek Mouth Wildlife Sanctuary

Tatu Creek is also known as Wu Creek, and is the third largest river in Taiwan. Originating on the western slope of Mt. Hohuan in the Central Range of Taiwan, this creek forms the boundary of Taichung and Changhua county where it enters the Taiwan Straits. Due to Tatu Creek's low gradient as it approaches the sea, the creek mouth features extensive estuaries and highly-productive wetlands that rank among the twelve most important wetlands in Taiwan.

This area has a great abundance of animal life and is a major rest stop for birds migrating through Taiwan in the fall and winter. According to a survey taken by the Wild Bird Association, this area is one of Taiwan's largest waterfowl habitats and has a high number of species, many large flocks, and a high overall bird density. The mouth of Tatu Creek consists of a very flat area of approximately 3,000 hectares, and includes a four-kilometer-wide zone of estuaries and highly-productive rivermouth environment. Starting from the seaward side, this area encompasses ocean, estuaries, river channels, sandbars, newly-deposited land, fields, and fish ponds. Thanks to an abundance of bottom-dwelling organisms in the intertidal zone, large amounts of flat land, and fish pond dikes that provide waterfowl with a place to escape the area's strong winds, this place has become a major stopping point for migratory birds. Wetlands within the sanctuary can be divided into two types of ecological systems: One consists of creek mouth salt marshes that are alternately covered and exposed by the water and the other consists of habitat containing flora and fauna that have adjusted to a harsh coastal environment of strong winds and high salinity. These two types of ecological systems nurture different types of organisms. Fauna within the sanctuary consists primarily of bird life. Among the more than 172 species of birds sighted here, approximately 70% are waterfowl and the rest terrestrial species.

[Environment Protection and Nature Conservation]
[National Park Ecological Protection Areas]
[Protection Of Nature Landscapes]
[Wildlife Conservation]



Providing Source ĄG Department of Construction and Planning Administration Ministry of Interior

File Last Revised ĄG Feb.8.1996

Contact Phone ĄG 886-2-7374701EX283