As its name suggests, cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) follow cattle around to feed on insects that gather on them. During the winter, the bird is white as snow, making its orange beak stand out. But in this picture, taken during the breeding period in May, the colour of the bird's head and neck has changed to orange, while the beak has turned purple and red | Photo by João Monteiro
Cinnamon bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus), also known as chestnut bittern, is a brownish-red bird commonly found in India, China and Southeast Asia. This bird breeds in tropical and subtropical areas in May and June, similar to cattle egrets | Photo by João Monteiro
The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is known for its black wings and beak, its long orange-red legs and its constant high-pitched warning calls. In 2021, Monteiro recalls it as the “first time seeing them breed in Macao”. They arrive in late spring or at the beginning of summer | Photo by João Monteiro
Female black-winged stilts normally lay four eggs, and their chicks leave the nest just an hour or two after hatching | Photo by João Monteiro
Little egrets (Egretta garzetta) lay up to five bluish-green eggs above ground or water, and in trees and bushes, which are then cared for and incubated by both parents. This resident bird breeds in May or June | Photo by João Monteiro
Often confused for a duck, the round-looking, fluffy little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) is a water bird that can be noisy. These are resident birds you can find year-round. When they breed in the summer, their heads and necks turn red, but in winter they change to brown | Photo by João Monteiro
Little grebes lay two to three eggs per breeding season. The bird is known to breed with only one mate | Photo by João Monteiro
Dollarbirds (Eurystomus orientalis), known for their short necks and tails, can be found across Asia in February or March. These migratory birds usually stay in Macao for 15 days, but never more than a month | Photo by João Monteiro
Brightly coloured orange-bellied leafbirds (Chloropsis hardwickii) are commonly found in many parts of China, including Yunnan and Hainan provinces, as well as Macao | Photo by João Monteiro
Black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) mate within one or two days after pairs bond | Photo by João Monteiro
Also known as the common egret, the great egret (Ardea alba) can travel up to 40 km an hour. In winter, the bird’s beak and face turn orange. In this picture, the beak is black and the eye is red, which indicates that the bird is laying eggs – the red eye colour often lasts for only a week, before returning to its normal yellow | Photo by João Monteiro
The Chinese pond heron (Ardeola bacchus) goes hunting for insects and fish early in the morning or late in the evening. Like the great egret, this bird also appears in breeding plumage alongside two chicks. In winter, the plumage changes to brown and white, similar to its babies’ | Photo by João Monteiro
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Look at the sky, water or trees and you’ll see that Macao is blessed with some beautiful flying creatures. Bird photographer João Monteiro takes us through his lens, showcasing some of the city’s abundant bird life.
From Mount Fortress to the trails in Coloane, Macao is gifted with extraordinary birds. According to the most recent edition of Clements Checklist of Birds of the World – one of the ornithology world’s most important checklists – Macao has 411 bird species, with 16 globally threatened and 6 introduced species (birds intentionally brought into a region).
The Standard for Classification of Urban Green Area in Macao (2015) states that Macao’s urban green area covers about 35.6 per cent of the city’s total land area, all of which is supervised by the Department of Gardens and Green Areas of the Municipal Affairs Bureau. Half of this green space is found in Coloane and the rest is spread across the city, from re-forested areas and parks to green belts and greenery along the streets.
Thanks to this, migratory birds have plenty of places to settle during the spring and winter, while non-migratory birds can nest throughout the year. That makes Macao a great place for aspiring bird photographers to find subjects to capture.
João Monteiro, 55, a senior coordinator of criminal investigation for the Judiciary Police of Macao and avid bird photographer, explains that it takes a while to learn how to get the perfect shot, as you need to study the birds and environment and know the best hours to shoot. With time, he says, you figure out where and when to go, and you begin to understand the birds and their behaviour.
“Every time I go out, I take at least a thousand pictures, and from those, I pick 50 and end up editing just one or two for each bird,” Monteiro explains.
Of the many species he has captured, Monteiro picks the cattle egrets – a white heron native to warm-temperature zones – as his favourite bird, describing it as “simply pleasant.” But as these images show, many distinct bird species call Macao home, from colourful leafbirds to majestic herons. For bird-watchers like Monteiro, the city is full of surprises.
“That in a cement jungle like Macao … we have the opportunity to see so many different and beautiful birds, I think that’s amazing.”
As its name suggests, cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) follow cattle around to feed on insects that gather on them. During the winter, the bird is white as snow, making its orange beak stand out. But in this picture, taken during the breeding period in May, the colour of the bird's head and neck has changed to orange, while the beak has turned purple and red | Photo by João Monteiro
Cinnamon bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus), also known as chestnut bittern, is a brownish-red bird commonly found in India, China and Southeast Asia. This bird breeds in tropical and subtropical areas in May and June, similar to cattle egrets | Photo by João Monteiro
The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is known for its black wings and beak, its long orange-red legs and its constant high-pitched warning calls. In 2021, Monteiro recalls it as the “first time seeing them breed in Macao”. They arrive in late spring or at the beginning of summer | Photo by João Monteiro
Female black-winged stilts normally lay four eggs, and their chicks leave the nest just an hour or two after hatching | Photo by João Monteiro
Little egrets (Egretta garzetta) lay up to five bluish-green eggs above ground or water, and in trees and bushes, which are then cared for and incubated by both parents. This resident bird breeds in May or June | Photo by João Monteiro
Often confused for a duck, the round-looking, fluffy little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) is a water bird that can be noisy. These are resident birds you can find year-round. When they breed in the summer, their heads and necks turn red, but in winter they change to brown | Photo by João Monteiro
Little grebes lay two to three eggs per breeding season. The bird is known to breed with only one mate | Photo by João Monteiro
Dollarbirds (Eurystomus orientalis), known for their short necks and tails, can be found across Asia in February or March. These migratory birds usually stay in Macao for 15 days, but never more than a month | Photo by João Monteiro
Brightly coloured orange-bellied leafbirds (Chloropsis hardwickii) are commonly found in many parts of China, including Yunnan and Hainan provinces, as well as Macao | Photo by João Monteiro
Black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) mate within one or two days after pairs bond | Photo by João Monteiro
Also known as the common egret, the great egret (Ardea alba) can travel up to 40 km an hour. In winter, the bird’s beak and face turn orange. In this picture, the beak is black and the eye is red, which indicates that the bird is laying eggs – the red eye colour often lasts for only a week, before returning to its normal yellow | Photo by João Monteiro
The Chinese pond heron (Ardeola bacchus) goes hunting for insects and fish early in the morning or late in the evening. Like the great egret, this bird also appears in breeding plumage alongside two chicks. In winter, the plumage changes to brown and white, similar to its babies’ | Photo by João Monteiro
Macao has four types of migrational birds:
- Resident birds (stay year-round)
- Winter migrant birds (arrive in late September or October and depart in May or June)
- Summer migrant birds (arrive in late February or March and depart in September or October) – these birds are relatively rare in Macao, as most migratory birds come to the city to spend the winter.
- Migratory birds (stay for just a day or a week, usually in March or April and September or October) – these birds use Macao as a place to recover from the migration, which can extend from Siberia all the way to Australia and vice versa.
