Breeding Ground of Egrets and Grey Herons in Pomae-ri, Yangyang

Egrets are widely distributed across the world from the tropics to temperate zones, and in Korea they breed everywhere except the Baekdusan area. They can be seen on rivers, lakes and tidal flats, breeding in Korea from early spring to late autumn, mainly nesting colonially in pine and ginkgo trees. The grey heron is the largest bird of the heron family in Korea and is a summer visitor that breeds throughout the country, although a small number remain as residents and winter in Korea's southern regions and islands. It lives in rice paddies, rivers, coasts and tidal flats, feeding on frogs, fish and snakes. The breeding ground of egrets and grey herons at Pomae-ri, Yangyang, has a forest of about 500 pine trees, 70 to 150 years old and 20 to 25 m tall, in which the egrets and grey herons nest and breed. At the time of its designation as a natural monument, the total number of birds exceeded 2,000, but it has since declined as pesticide spraying and a general worsening of the living environment have taken their toll, and the pine trees themselves are gradually dying off from the birds' droppings. The breeding ground at Pomae-ri, Yangyang, is of great value as the largest breeding ground on the east coast, and is designated and protected as a natural monument.

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Where it is

Region

Yangyang, Gangwon

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물