Birding

Some Waders of Xinjiang

September 21, 2026 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Given that Xinjiang is generally very dry – only about 10% of its area is suitable for human habitation – it is not a place where one expects to see many waders.

Wetland and not wetland in Xinjiang

And yet, I saw plenty of them in August: Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Northern Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Redshank, Ruff, Little Stint, Temminck’s Stint … In fact, a 2000 paper lists 38 wader species observed in Xinjiang.

Pied Avocet

Which probably means waders do not really need water, right?

Black-bellied Plover

Well, not exactly. Waders need wet places, but they do not necessarily need big, deep lakes and oceans. Shallow wetlands will do nicely. So will man-made reservoirs.

Ruff

And Xinjiang has those. Some of them look rather inhospitable – alkaline, shallow, and very sparsely vegetated, as some of the photos show – but that seems to be okay. In fact, that combination can be quite good for waders.

Common Redshank

Where does the water come from? Xinjiang is extremely continental and extremely dry, but it also has high mountains. Meltwater from these mountains feeds rivers and wetlands in an otherwise arid country.

Northern Lapwing

That makes Xinjiang attractive enough to some waders that they actually breed here, like these Black-winged Stilts (and at least nine other species).

Another reason for the presence of waders in Xinjiang is that it lies on the Central Asian Flyway. This flyway connects breeding grounds in northern Eurasia with wintering areas farther south. The lakes and wetlands of Xinjiang thus act as gas stations for birds on migration. And we all know that such service stations do not necessarily need to be particularly beautiful to be attractive.

Little Stint

Bird photos taken in Xinjiang, China in August 2026 at Ulungur Lake, except for Black-winged Stilt with chicks (Tachakou)

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 22 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well. He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.