ZoogeographyKorea belongs to the Palaearctic zoogeographical realm. It may be necessary
to observe animal distribution of Korea by dividing the country into highland
and lowland districts. Included in the former are the Myohyangsan mountains,
the Gaema Plateau and the more rugged terrain of the Taebaek mountains, all
areas that are high in altitude and similar in climate to the Amur River region.
This area is covered with boreal forests and many of the higher mountains supported
glaciers during the Pleistocene period.
Animal life in and around this area is closely related to that of the boreal
zone of Manchuria, northern China, and northern Japan. Representative species
include: red deer, sika deer, Amur goral, sable, Japanese marten, Asiatic black
bear, leopard cat, alpine pika, water white-toothed shrews, hazel grouse, eagle
owl, Chinese grosbeak and woodpeckers.
The remainder of the country comprises the lowland peninsula area, which enjoys
a milder climate. The fauna, closely related to that of southern Manchuria,
central China and Japan, include Korean hare, roe deer, ratlike hamster, white-bellied
black woodpecker, faiy pitta and common pheasant.
Species
There are 382 species and 12 subspecies of birds recorded in South Korea. Of
these, 53 species are vagrants, and the Kuroda's sheldrake has probably become
extinct. Of the other 340 species, 57 are permanent residents and 238 are migrants.
Of the migratory birds, 116 species visit the country during winter season while
64 pass through during the summer and the remaining 103, during the spring and
autumn seasons. One hundred and fifteen species breed in Korea, of which 57
are indigenous species and 64 are summer visitors. There are 14 additional species
of birds recorded in North Korea. Of these, the hazel grouse, snowy owl, wryneck,
lesser-spotted woodpecker, three-toed woodpecker, and black-faced bunting are
boreal residents of the high terrain of Mt. Baekdusan; the rest are vagrants.
There are eight orders, 24 families, 52 genera and 104 species of indigenous
mammals in Korea. These include 25 species of Chiroptera, 22 Rodentia, 21 Carnivora,
12 Insectivora, two Lagomorpha, and ten Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates).
There are 28 native subspecies on record that inhabit the peninsula, but this
is yet to be verified. Large mammals include the Asiatic black bear, wild boar,
roe deer, and Amur goral. A few species such as the wolf and alpine pika are
found only in North Korea. The two species of deer, sable, and alpine pika are
found only in the plateau regions of Mt. Baekdusan in North Korea. Other wildlife
species in South Korea include 29 reptiles, 14 amphibians and 130 types of freshwater
fish.
Seventeen species of terrestrial mammals have been found on Jejudo island. Wild
bear, deer, and wild cat are now extinct and today the land is inhabited by
roe deer, weasel, hamster, field mouse, house rat and two bat species; there
are also 283 forms of birds, and eight amphibians and reptilians on the island.
Ulleungdo island is devoid of native mammals. The island's known mammals consist
of five species (two species of bat, one shrew and two house rats are also found
on the Korean mainland). There are no amphibians or reptiles on the island except
for frogs and snakes which have been introduced by man. As for birds, 63 species
have been recorded on the island.
Natural Monuments
Twenty-four species of wildlife have been designated as natural monuments. In
addition, twenty species of bird, two mammal species and several insect species
have been designated as endangered species. There are 18 localities designated
as breeding sites (eight egretries and heronries), passing or wintering sites,
or habitats for white-bellied black woodpecker, fairy pitta, and loon. Also
designated as monuments are domesticated silky fowl, the Californian grey whale,
the domestic Jeju horse ( Jorangmal), the two native dogs breeds called
Jindotgae and Sapsalgae and four fish species, Anguilla mormorata
Quoy and Germard, Brachymystax lenox Pallas, Gonoprokopterus mylodon
Berg and golden variety of mandarin fish Siniperca scherzeri Steindachner.
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Jindogae and
Sapsalgae, two native Korean dog breeds. |
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The following species of animals have been designated as natural monuments by
the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. For more detailed list, please refer to
the appendix I at the end of this chapter.
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Pied Harrier |
Chinese Sparrow
Hawk |
Eagle Owl |
Intermediate Egret |
White-bellied black woodpecker, Dryocopus javensis richardsi
Total length: 46 centimeters. A large black and white woodpecker
with a crimson crown and crimson cheek patches. Its upper parts, throat
and upper breast are black, while its under parts and rump are white.
Tristram's woodpecker is a permanent resident of Hwanghae-do province,
North Korea.
Old records indicate that such woodpeckers were occasionally found around
Hwanghae-do (North Korea), Chungcheongbuk-do and Gyeongsangnam-do but the only reliable breeding places that have been reported
are Gwangneung and Geumneung in Gyeonggi-do. This large woodpecker
is a rare resident of the small area of heavy forested area remaining
in Korea. Nesting success in Korea was also confirmed in the forest of
Hwanghae-do. These birds change their nesting site
within a small area each year. |
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White-backed Woodpecker |
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White-naped crane, Grus vipio
Total length: 119 centimeters. A pale grey crane with a white
head and neck; grey on the body continues up the sides of the neck in
a narrow line to a little below the eye. Its lore is naked and red, also
the color of its legs.
This bird is a regular winter visitor and passage migrant. The species
is the most abundant of all the cranes in Korea, but its numbers have
decreased in recent years. In November and February of every year, the
flocks of about 2,000 birds concentrate in the estuary of the Hangang River and the Cheorwon Basin, Gangwon-do. The estuary and basin
are bird sanctuaries designated as Natural Monuments No. 250 and 245 respectively.
The crane migrates to Korea in late October and November and winters here
until the end of March. |
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White-naped Crane |
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Baikal Teal, Anas formosa
The Baikal Teal Anas formosa is a handsome duck found in
Northeast Asia. Although it was extremely common in the early part of
this century, in recent years its numbers have declined dramatically,
and it now joins the rank of the three rarest species of teal in the world,
along with the Madagascar Teal Anas bernieri, the New Zealand Brown Teal
Anas aucklandica and the Marbled Teal Marmaronetta augustirostris of Central
Asia. |
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Baikal Teal |
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The Baikal Teal is larger than the Common Teal Anas crecca, and the male is
easily identifiable by its striking yellow and green head and grey and brown
body. In comparison, the female has a duller head with a prominent white circular
spot at the base of the bill as well as plainer rufous brown plumage.
The Baikal Teal is now rarely seen during the winter season. It has been sited
in only a few locations in Korea, China and Japan. The present world population
is estimated to be about 75,000 birds. Because of this decline in population,
the species has recently been listed under the CITES conservation in an attempt
to monitor international trade of the species.
The Baikal Teal only breeds in northeast Russia, preferring the river valleys
and basins of Anadyr, Kolyma, Yana, Indigirka Lena and Amur, the Okhotsk coast
and Kamchatka. It winters in rice fields and wetlands in Korea, China and Japan.
There are records of stray birds from northwestern India, Nepal, Hong Kong and
North America.
The Baikal Teal has also become a popular species in wildfowl collections and
zoos, as the birds are so easily collected. Large numbers were exported by dealers
in China and Hong Kong for the international market. Due to its shy nature,
however, the Baikal Teal is a difficult species to breed in captivity until
recently.
Migration routes between breeding and wintering grounds are not exactly known.
They are believed to travel quickly, making use of different routes in autumn
and spring. The birds use river valleys with associated flood waters, marshes
and freshwater lakes during migration. Large numbers used to pass through southeastern
Russia, particularly the Amur Valley and Lake Khanka. During the springtime,
about 5,000-10,000 birds stop over at Lake Khanka.
The birds leave their breeding grounds in late August-September and arrive in
their wintering grounds in late October. They depart northwards in March and
reach their breeding destinations by April or May. Little information is available
on the breeding biology of the Baikal Teal. The birds build their nests in grass
and sedge tussocks, often in dwarf forests of birch and willow.
The bill is shaped for filter feeding, with similar filter palates as those
found in Common Teal, but the Baikal Teal has apparently evolved from an aquatic
filter feeder due to its predominantly terrestrial diet. Its main food during
the winter season consists of rice grain and seeds, as well as aquatic invertebrates
and fish. Consequently, during this period they are mainly associated with large
flat expanses of rice-fields and large open areas of freshwater that remain
ice-free for safe roosting.
The Baikal Teal was a common migrant passing through Korea on its way to Japan.
With the decline in numbers, however, few birds are believed to migrate through
the Primorye Territory anymore. As recently as 1984, the Baikal Teal was discovered
to winter in Korea. Important wintering sites are Cheonsuman bay, Sapgyoho lake
of Asanman bay, Geumgang estuary, the west coast, Daecheong Impoundment Water,
Nonsan and the lakes at Cheong-am in the flood plain of the Nakdonggang Valley,
in Gyeongsangnam-do. Since 1987, about 70,000 birds have been observed
there each winter. Korea is now the world's largest concentration of the species,
holding over 90 percent of the world's known population. Small numbers spend
the winter at Upo Marsh in the Nakdonggang Valley, Gyeongsangnam-do province.
Appendix: Korea's Designated Natural Monuments
Mammals (birds and fish) |
Species |
Monument No. |
Date designated |
White-bellied black woodpecker, Dryocopus javensis richardsi |
197 |
May 30, 1968 |
Japanese crested ibis, Nipponia nippon |
198 |
May 30, 1968 |
Oriental white stork, Ciconia ciconia boyciana |
199 |
May 30, 1968 |
Black stork, Ciconia nigra |
200 |
May 30, 1968 |
Whooper, whistling and mute swans, Cygnus (cygnus, columbianus
and olor) |
201 |
May 30, 1968 |
Manchurian crane, Grus japonensis |
202 |
May 30, 1968 |
White-naped crane, Grus vipio |
203 |
May 30, 1968 |
Fairy pitta, Pitta brachyura nympha |
204 |
May 30, 1968 |
Black-faced spoonbill and Spoonbill, Platalea (minor and leucorodia) |
205 |
May 30, 1968 |
Great bustard, Otis tarda dybowskii |
206 |
May 30, 1968 |
Japanese wood pigeon, Columba janthina janthina |
215 |
Nov. 20, 1968 |
Musk deer, Moschus moschiferus parvipes |
216 |
Nov. 20, 1968 |
Amur (Manchurian) goral, Naemorhedus goral raddeanus |
217 |
Nov. 20, 1968 |
Long-horned beetle, Callipogon relichum |
218 |
Nov. 20, 1968 |
Hooded crane, Grus monacha |
228 |
Oct. 30, 1970 |
Black woodpecker, Dryocopus martius |
242 |
May 1, 1972 |
Black vulture, Aegypius monachu |
243 |
June 20, 1973 |
Steller's sea eagle, Haliaeetus pelagicus |
243 |
June 20, 1973 |
White-tailed sea eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla |
243 |
June 20, 1973 |
Golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos |
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June 20, 1973 |
Hawks, Harriers and Falcons (Goshawk, Accipiter gentillis; Chinese
Sparrow Hawk, |
323 |
Nov. 4, 1882 |
Accipiter sploensis; Sparrow Hawk, Accipiter nisus; Han Harrier,
Circus cyaneus; |
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Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus; and Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus) |
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Owls (Eagle Owl, Bubo bubo; Long-eared Owl, Asio otus; Short-eared
Owl, |
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Asio flammeus; Scops Owl, Otus scops; Collared Scops Owl, Otus
bakkamoena; |
324 |
Nov. 4, 1982 |
Brown Hawk Owl, Ninox scutulata; and Tawny Owl, Strix aluco) |
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Geese (Brent, Branta bernicla and Swan Goose, Anser cygnoides) |
325 |
Nov. 4, 1982 |
Oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus |
326 |
Nov. 4, 1982 |
Mandarin Duck, Aix galericulata |
327 |
Nov. 4, 1982 |
Chinese Egret, Egretta Eulophotes |
361 |
Aug. 23, 1988 |
Egretries and heronries |
Monument No. |
Date designated |
Jincheon, Chungcheongbuk-do |
13 |
Dec. 3, 1962 |
Sinjeom-ri, Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do |
209 |
July 18, 1968 |
Yeongwol-ri, Muan, Jeollanam-do |
211 |
July 18, 1968 |
Maepo-ri, Yangyang, Gangwon-do |
229 |
Nov. 5, 1970 |
Doseon-ri, Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do |
231 |
Nov. 5, 1970 |
Apgong-ri, Hoengseong, Gangwon-do |
248 |
Nov. 5, 1970 |
The breeding site for Chinese Egret and Black-tailed Gull |
360 |
Aug. 23, 1988 |
(Egretta eulophotes and Larus crassirostris) |
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Water Birds and Sea Birds |
Species and habitat |
Monument No. |
Date designated |
The wintering ground for swans on Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do |
101 |
Dec. 3, 1962 |
The Nakdonggang river Delta colony for migratory birds, Busan |
179 |
July 13, 1966 |
The wintering colony of the Diver, Gavia around Geojedo, Gyeongsangnam-do |
227 |
Sept. 13, 1971 |
The Han River estuary for White-naped crane Grus vipio |
250 |
Feb. 25, 1975 |
The breeding site for sea birds (Streaked Shear-water, Calonectris
leucomelas; Swinhoe's Fork-tailed Petrel, Oceanodroma monorhis;
and White-rumped Swift, Apus pacificus) on Chlpaldo island, Sinan-gun,
Jeollanam-do |
332 |
Nov. 4, 1982 |
The breeding site for island birds (Streaked Shear-water, Calonectris leucomelas; Japanese Wood Pigeon, Columba janthina) on Sasudo Island, Bukjeju-gun,Jeju-do |
333 |
Nov. 4, 1982 |
The breeding site for the Black-tailed Gull, Larus crassirostris
on Nando Island, Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do |
334 |
Nov. 4, 1982 |
The breeding site for the Black-tailed Gull, Larus crassirostris
on Hongdo island, Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do |
335 |
Nov. 4, 1982 |
The breeding site for sea birds (Streaked Shear-water, Calonectris
leucomelas; Swinhoe's Fork-tailed Petrel, Oceanodroma monorhis;
and the Black-tailed Gull, Larus crassirostris) on Dokdo Island,
Ulleung-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do |
336 |
Nov. 4, 1982 |
The breeding site for sea birds (Streaked Shear-water, Calonectris
leucomelas; |
341 |
Aug. 10, 1984 |
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Land Birds |
Species and habitat |
Monument No. |
Date designated |
Gwangneung forest for the white-bellied black wood-pecker, Dryocopus
javensis richardsi |
11 |
Dec. 3, 1962 |
The breeding site for fairy pitta, Pitta brachyura nympha at Hakdong,
Geojedo island, Gyeongsangnam-do |
233 |
Sept. 13, 1971 |
The feeding site for Japanese wood pigeon, Columba janthina janthina
at Sadong, Ulleungdo island, Gyeongsangbuk-do |
237 |
Dec. 14, 1971 |
The wintering and staging site for cranes, Grus japonensis and
G. vipio at Jeontong-ri, Cheorwon, Gangwon-do |
245 |
July 10, 1973 |
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Freshwater Fishes |
Species |
Monument No. |
Date designated |
Cheonjiyeon Waterfall for Anguilla marmorata on Jejudo island |
27 |
Dec. 3, 1962 |
The habitat of Manchurian trout, Brachymystax lenok in the Jeongamsa temple area, Gangwon-do |
73 |
Dec. 3, 1962 |
The habitat of Manchurian trout, Brachymystax lenok in the Seocheon,
Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do province |
74 |
Dec. 3, 1962 |
Hangang, Gyeonggi-do for Siniperca scherzeri Geumgang
river, Chungcheongbuk-do for Gonoprokopterus mylodon |
238 |
May 1, 1972 |
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Domestic Dogs and Fowls |
Species |
Monument No. |
Date designated |
Sanctuary of Jindogae, endemic dog, in Jindo, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do |
53 |
July 10, 1973 |
The poultry farm of domesticated silky fowl "Ogolgye" at Whaang-ri,
Nonsan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do |
265 |
April 1, 1980 |
Jeju horse of Yonggang-dong, Bonggae-dong and Nohyeong-dong, Jeju,
Jeju-do |
347 |
Feb. 8, 1986 |
Sapsalgae, primitive dog of Daejo-dong, Gyeongsan-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do |
368 |
March 10, 1992 |
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