The previous record for the number of collared falconets in a single image was set in 2022, when a photographer captured fifteen birds at once. [Photo by Yin Yihu/For chinadaily.com.cn]
A photographer in Yingjiang county, Yunnan province, recently captured seventeen collared falconets in a single image, surpassing the previous national record of 15 individuals photographed together in 2022, according to the county's integrated media center.
The rare sighting was made on Friday in Chinese Hornbill Valley, part of the Benghe area within the Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve. Footage shows the tiny raptors perched calmly on branches, some preening one another.
Seventeen collared falconets are captured in a single image on Dec 5 in Yingjiang county, Yunnan province.[Photo by He Haiyan/For chinadaily.com.cn]
Despite being the size of sparrows, collared falconets are known for their fierce hunting abilities and can take down birds of a similar size. In practice, however, they typically feed on butterflies, dragonflies, and other easily caught prey. The species is listed as a national second-class protected wild animal in China.
Collared falconets are highly social and are often seen basking together in the sun in the valley, which is currently the only place in China where they can be reliably observed and photographed. Set within a tropical monsoon forest, the area is famed for its biodiversity and is the country's only region where three hornbill species are stably distributed and breeding.
