Despite being famous for its tall skyscrapers and being regarded as one of the most densely populated places in the world (with a population density of 6,659 people per square kilometer), Hong Kong is home to over 5000 recorded species of wildlife. Additionally, country parks and mountainous ranges make up approximately 70% of Hong Kong’s territory, making it an ideal place for animals to live.
Air
Although Hong Kong isn’t very large, it is home to 5% of the world's birds and around 578 different species. This is as all of the different environments in Hong Kong create an ideal place for birds to reside in. Additionally, Hong Kong acts as a stopover for migrating birds travelling south for winter.
Some bird species in Hong Kong include:
Eurasian tree sparrow
Oriental Magpie Robin
Black-crowned Night Heron
Little Egret
Collared scops owl (harder to see as they live in remote corners and are nocturnal)
Bats are also quite commonly found--they make up almost half of all mammal species in Hong Kong. These creatures are usually found in water tunnels and abandoned mines in the city. Common bat species include the Common Bent-winged Bat.
The best time of the year to go bird watching in the city is around Autumn. This is as you will be able to see native birds of Hong Kong and migratory birds as they begin their winter move. The New Territories is the best place to go birdwatching and most places near a stream or vegetation might also be full of birds to see. On the other hand, if you don’t have the patience to go birdwatching but are still interested in seeing some wildlife, there is always the option of going to visit the flamingo pool in Kowloon Park!
Land
There is a large variety of land animals in Hong Kong. Approximately 57 terrestrial mammal species reside here, ranging from wild boars to lemurs.
Some common land animals that you might see include:
Porcupine
Romer's Tree Frog
Water Buffalo
Red Muntjac (barking deer)
There are also around 50 species of snakes that reside in Hong Kong, but 8 of those are classed as life-threatening and lethal. The website HongKongSnakeID has a guide of all of the lethal snakes with pictures and key ID features about them.
Sea
Hong Kong has a very diverse marine life where you can see a variety of different species. 6,000 species of marine life were recorded in Hong Kong waters in 2017: the 11th highest number of marine species.
Marine life in Hong Kong includes: Cuttlefish
Pufferfish
Damselfish
Clownfish
Jellyfish
Sea anemones
One way to see all of Hong Kong's marine life is by scuba diving. There are many places where you can learn to scuba dive in Hong Kong, such as Splash HK and Diving Adventure (both offer PADI certifications).
Insects
Approximately 7000 insect species are found in Hong Kong and more are being found every year, out of these around 240 are butterfly species. Some butterflies (such as swallowtails, skippers and blues) can be found in urban parks of Hong Kong. However, if you go on a hike in most parts you should be able to see some of these fluttering creatures. 100 species of dragonflies also inhabit Hong Kong. Between April and June is the best time to see these insects, as well as between October and November.
8 species of hornets are found in Hong Kong, including the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia). This is the world's largest hornet and has a wingspan of around 7.4 cm. However, these hornets are very rare so you don’t have to worry too much about getting stung.
Sources
Writer: Anvita Verma
Editor: Jessica Leung
Artists: Irish Felix & Pihu Agarwal
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