It is not only the United States and South Africa that have running problems between black and white races; in Taiwan there is a color problem amongst the birds!

"It's head is obviously black, so why is it called the White-Headed Weng?", was the question Liao Sheng-fu, whose home is in Taitung, would often ask of his elders when he was a child.

"Whitey! Whitey!" yell out the excited children of the western plateau on catching sight of the gathering White-Headed Weng. Yet they have not had the opportunity to see the "black"-headed Weng spoken of by Liao Sheng-fu.

You Come from the East--I'll Come from the West: So what is the "black"-headed Weng? Its formal name is in fact the "Wu-T'ou Weng," and it is a species unique to Taiwan.

According to investigations by ornithologists, the White-Headed Weng is a product of East Asia which can be seen in southeastern China, Hainan Island, Okinawa and Indochina. But evidence concerning the White-Headed Weng from the nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries makes it apparent that the extent of the bird in Taiwan only ranged from the area west of the Langyang Plain south to Chaochou in Pingtung county and the Tawu range of mountains.

As for the other side of the mountains--the coast of Hualien and Taitung county to Fengkang in Pingtung--although there are no traces of the White-Headed Weng to be seen, Taiwan's southeastern coast is the only place in the world where the Wu-T'ou Weng can be seen.

Both the White-Headed and the Wu-T'ou Weng are members of the same family and they have been divided into two different species. The White- Headed Weng has a white head. The plumage in front of its eyes, behind its ears and on its chin is black, while there are speckles resembling a white birth mark below its ear. The Wu-T'ou Weng, or Black-Headed Weng, as it name suggests, can be distinguished from the White-Headed Weng by its black head plumage, while the feathers in front of its eyes, behind its ears and on its chin are white. Its two cheeks have marks that form a V-like shape, and under its chin is a speckled mark in orange- yellow or red.

Although "east is east and west is west" and the two species keep a conservative distance, apart from the obvious differences that can be seen in their "passport photographs," their physiques and olive- brown bodies could be from the same mold and their habits and personalities bear more similarity than difference. It is because of this that when the early settlers came to Taiwan from Fukien and saw the Wu-T'ou Weng they still called it the "White- Headed Weng."

Masses with the Same Habits: In their eating, clothing, habitation and movements--apart from their appearance--the Wu-T'ou Weng and the White-Headed Weng have identical tastes, being generally omnivorous and eating insects, berries and shoots, while not being fussy when it comes to choosing from the fruits of a farmer's orchard. As for habitation and movement, ecologists have observed that in both east and west the birds are in step. On both sides they normally live in groups, or organized social units, foraging together and following the crowd in sparse woods or on open ground. As soon as the nesting season arrives in March, grace is thrown to the wind and the search for a mate begins with the cocks' behavior of expelling, standing guard and fighting. When the prize is attained, the love-birds make a couple, establish their territory and put into practice the work of continuing the family line.

At this time, in east and west, both the White- Headed and Wu-T'ou cocks love to perch high up on a branch within their territory so as to keep a watchful eye on all sides. The hens, meanwhile, are busy searching the scrub for twigs, banyan risers and leaves that will make do for building materials. The nest will be an even bowl that hangs from a branch around three meters from the ground.

With the new residence complete, incubation of the two to four eggs will take eleven to twelve days, and the young birds will leave the nest within nine to ten, and there are generally two clutches of eggs within each nesting season. Finally, after August and September, the universal hustle and bustle of parenthood gives way to life within the larger troupe.

The adaptability of the birds and their love of built-up places means that Weng can be seen in large numbers in every area. In the west, the White- Headed Weng is spread among the sparse deciduous woods, plateaux and fields under a thousand meters in altitude. In the cities, from where other animals have retreated, the Weng have divided up the parks, gardens and green spaces along with the sparrows and a small number of other birds. They can even be seen eating fruits under the banyan trees at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial in Taipei.

Liao Sheng-fu, a school teacher who often takes groups of pupils bird watching, says that every morning at dawn in Taitung, the first birds you can hear are not the sparrows but the Wu-T'ou Weng.

Even when resting, their head plumage stands up at a ninety-degree angle, like a brilliant white or black cap--yet another of the particular characteristics shared by both the White-Headed and Wu-T'ou Weng.

Two Clans Together: Among Taiwan's more than 130 species of land-bird, only the Weng are of different appearance while being internally the same. Whatever the reasons lying behind this, their mutual separation has already quietly been undergoing a process of "peaceful evolution."

In the 1970s, ornithologists discovered an overlap in the territories of the White-Headed and Wu-T'ou Weng, along the cross-island highway to Hualien and the north of Fengkang. Then, in the 1980s, two unique kinds of bird were found with plumage that was a mixture of colors, such as having a white cap but with orange-yellow spots and black whiskers.

In 1989, the zoological institute of the Academia Sinica undertook an investigation at Taroko Gorge National Park which concluded that only cross-breeds could be found there, with almost no pure White-Headed or Wu-T'ou Weng in sight. The researchers also proved that the offspring of cross-breeding had the ability to proliferate, so it was apparent that the marriage between the two was already long-standing.

But after further observation by the researchers, what had originally been seen as the great situation of two families living together as one, was in fact discovered to have arisen from incursions made by the White-Headed Weng into the territory of the Wu- T'ou. Thus, today, White-Headed Weng can be seen all over Hualien, while Taitung is almost the only place left in which a "pure color" can be seen. What troubles ornithologists about this is that, if it continues, then there will only be White-Headed and Mixed-Headed Weng left. Wu-T'ou Weng could become the most numerous of Taiwan's unique species at present--but the earliest to become extinct.

The most important matchmaker in facilitating the marriage between the two types of Weng has in fact been "the march of human progress," says Lin Hua-ching, a graduate student in the department of zoology at Taiwan University who wrote a thesis on the Weng. The numerous cross-island highways have reached all areas in connecting up the east and west while the felling of the original dense forests and development of the high mountains has meant that the White-Headed Weng can move so easily that it is not only spreading in all four directions but is also climbing up to heights of around 1800 meters. The practice of Buddhist releasing animals has also acted as a matchmaker for the White-Headed Weng. Lin Hua-ching says that, two years ago, the Haishan Temple in Taitung released a flock of more than two-hundred White-Headed Weng and it was not long after that the cross-bred type of Weng was discovered.

Victory by Stealth for the White-Headed Weng: Yet why is the White-Headed Weng's expansionary character stronger than that of the Wu-T'ou? Why can these two different species of birds cross-breed and continue to do so for generations? And should we adopt a policy to preserve the Wu-T'ou Weng, which is facing this crisis of survival? To find the answer the zoological institute of the T'ou Weng, which is facing this crisis of survival? To find the answer the zoological institute of the Academia Sinica and the zoological faculty of Taiwan University have already begun joint research. Apart from investigating habits and demography, they are even working hard on the voices of the birds.

Ecologists already know that, the more melodies there are in the songs of a bird and the higher the fluctuations in pitch, the more likely it is to have a high rate of successful breeding. Through collecting the songs of the two species of bird and comparing their differences, we can deepen our knowledge about them and further explore the importance of song to geographical distribution and separation and the entire role this plays between the two species!" points out Chang Chiung-wen in his master's dissertation, after carring out in-depth research into the Weng. "Is it that the more varied songs the White-Headed Weng have, the more attractive they are to the Wu-T'ou hens?" asks Cheng I, research assistant at the zoological institute of the Academic Sinica.

Hold On, Wu-T'ou Weng: But audio research is not easy. Well-trained personnel with sensitive ears and eyes have recorded 356 different types of song from the two birds within barely a year. Moreover, within this short period, such work as comparing the songs one-by-one to find out which is preferred and at what frequency they occur does not easily yield readily tangible results. Another aspect is that ecologists have not yet given up their traditional ecological investigations: "We hope to find clues in what we already know about displays and courtship that will tell us why the display of the White-Headed Weng is more attractive," says Cheng I. The researchers have already discovered that the White-Headed Weng is on average larger than the Wu-T'ou and that the latter's nesting season comes about two weeks later than the White-Headed Weng. Yet just exactly what the significance of this might be, no one has yet dared to pin down.

The problem is: research necessitates time, and in the human-led evolutionary process of animals, the White-Headed Weng has been step-by-step victorious. For how long can the Wu-T'ou Weng hold on? Will it be long enough for mankind to solve the riddle of these two species?

[Picture Caption]

The Wu-T'ou Weng is a species unique to Taiwan's south-east coast.

White cap and black face are the marks of the White-Headed Weng.

Most people who grow up on the western plain do not know about the Wu-T'ou Weng. (photo by Chen Yung-fu)

The Wu-T'ou Weng prefers to Stay on branches and is the most easy bird to catch sight of in Taitung. (photo by Chen Yung-fu)

Staff of the zoological institute of the Academia Sinica put tabs on cross-breeds for observation. Although this bird has a black cap, it has the same face markings as the White-Headed Weng.

The omnivorous White-Headed Weng has already gradually invaded the territory of the Wu-T'ou Weng.

White cap and black face are the marks of the White-Headed Weng.

The Wu-T'ou Weng prefers to Stay on branches and is the most easy bird to catch sight of in Taitung. （photo by Chen Yung-fu）

Staff of the zoological institute of the Academia Sinica put tabs on cross-breeds for observation. Although this bird has a black cap, it has the same face markings as the White-Headed Weng.

The omnivorous White-Headed Weng has already gradually invaded the territory of the Wu-T'ou Weng.