LI Yongmin, XU Huidong, ZHANG Xing, WANG Weigen, ZHAO Hongqiang
Bird diversity is an important component of wetland ecosystems. From February 2022 to March 2023, bird surveys were conducted in four habitats (lake, farmland, shelterbelt, and pond) of Anhui Yingshang Balihe Provincial Nature Reserve using sample point and line transects. Multidimensional diversity was applied to analyze the spatiotemporal patterns of avian communities. Throughout this period, the park hosted 138 distinct bird species, totaling 35 838 individuals. Among these, 2 species was designated under the National Key Protected Wildlife Category I and 15 under Category II, 1 critically endangered species and 5 vulnerable species listed on the IUCN Red List. According to the analysis, there were significant differences in bird diversity among the four types of habitats in spring, the multidimensional diversity of bird species was higher in the farmland habitat during summer. Lake habitats had their highest species richness (38.00), functional richness (128.64), and phylogenetic diversity (1 264.71) in autumn, the species richness (39.67), functional richness (69.30), and phylogenetic diversity (1 254.96) of lake habitats were significantly higher than those of other habitats in winter. In different habitats, the Shannon-Wiener index (2.32), taxonomic diversity (67.53), functional richness (128.64), and phylogenetic diversity (1 264.71) exhibited peak values in the lake habitat during autumn, while species richness (39.67) and the number of individuals (17 592) reached their zenith in winter. Within the farmland habitat, avian species richness (28.33), Shannon-Wiener index (2.77), functional richness (48.81), and phylogenetic diversity (976.28) attained their highest levels in summer and lowest in winter. Notably, the Shannon-Wiener index (2.44), Simpson index (0.89), and Pielou index (0.86) in the shelter forest were markedly elevated during autumn compared to the other three seasons. Meanwhile, species richness (19.67) was maximal in winter and minimal in spring within the pond habitat. The observation in the reserve during a single survey revealed that both the Common Pochard and the Great Cormorant exceeded 3 000 individuals, surpassing 1% of the population of these species along the East Asia-Australia flyway, meeting the criteria for an internationally important wetland. Additionally, the survey discovered 2 new records, the Long-tailed Duck and the Common Goldeneye, in Anhui. Anhui Yingshang Balihe Provincial Nature Reserve provided an excellent foraging and habitat environment for birds, particularly waterbirds, serving as a crucial stopover and wintering site along the East Asia-Australia flyway.