The hooded crane is one of the representative animals of the bay, and last year I wrote a little something for the Korea Times about the Suncheon Bay Reeds Festival, which had the tagline "Global Love of Reed and Hooded Crane"; an excerpt:
The festival's namesake the hooded crane is especially beloved, and practically every exhibit of the Eco-Museum is devoted to it. Classified as a vulnerable species there are roughly 10,000 left in the world, and its numbers are being further reduced by the constant reclamation and development of wetlands in South Korea and China.
However, very few of these birds actually spend time Suncheon, as an estimated 80 percent in 2005-2006 wintered in southern Japan, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Here's that IUCN Red List page, which says:
Grus monacha breeds in south-central and south-eastern Siberia, Russia. Breeding is suspected in Mongolia and two breeding sites have recently been found in the region of Heilongjiang, China. Its global population is estimated to be c.11,500 birds with 1,460 in China and Russia, c.114 in Korea and over 80% wintering at Izumi, southern Japan where 10,027 were recorded in 2005-2006.
Nonetheless, Suncheon Bay is one of the top attractions in the province, in my opinion, and is well worth a visit. If you go to the relatively-new Eco-Museum you'll find exhibits on the hooded crane and other migratory animals. The Suncheon Bay Reeds Festival, scheduled for October 17th through the 24th calls it
though the festival was cancelled this year because of swine flu concerns.
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