On 11 June 2001, at the hinterland of Taklaimakan Desert ( 39°10`N ,83°40`E, 1100 m a.s.l.) in Xinjiang, west China, we observed one Chinese pond heron (Ardeola bacchus) in a small pond with reed (Phragmites communis) near the Tarim Desert Highway . It may be migrating from south to north. We took some photos to record it. It is an unmistakable species: its head and neck are reddish brown, back is slaty blue, and white wings are distinctive in flight. It is a new species record in Xinjiang, an extremely arid region in Central Asia. According to Cheng(1987), the west and southwest distribution boundaries of this species in China are Qinghai Lake and south Xizang respectively. Chinese Pond Herons inhabit the wetlands generally. Most of the wetlands in the Taklamakan Desert exist in a small area (about 200 m 2 in general), and the interval distance between the wetlands is mostly about 250 km (e.g. the distance between the Tarim, Niya and Hotan rivers). Therefore the apperance of the Chinese Pond Heron at the hinterland of Taklamakan Desert, the largest mobile desert in China, is really a surprise event.
