Abstract:

Assessments of biodiversity are the foundation to support the management and policy-making of protected areas. In order to determine the diversity and composition of avian fauna in Qianjiangyuan National Park pilot, we collected bird observations through bird field surveys, camera-trapping surveys, acoustic recordings, and citizen science observations. Based on this compilation, we produced a list of 252 species composed of 17 orders and 64 families. Observed species include 36 nationally protected species: two class-I species—Elliot’s Pheasant Syrmaticus ellioti and Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus—and 34 class-II species. In addition, 10 species are threatened globally and 34 are threatened at the state level (i.e. listed as CR, EN, VU or NT by the IUCN or China’s red list of vertebrates). In total, 46 species (18.25%) are of conservation concern. Four species (Mountain Scops-owl Otus spilocephalus, Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis, White-browed Reed-warbler Acrocephalus tangorum and Javan Shortwing Brachypteryx montana) are newly recorded in Zhejiang Province. The Qianjiangyuan National Park bird community is evenly composed of species from the Oriental (45.24% of species) and Palaearctic (42.46%) realms, with the remaining are widespread species (12.30%). The percentage of resident and migratory species is also roughly equivalent (46.03% and 53.57%). Of the species that breed in Qianjiangyuan National Park, 68.79% are Oriental realm species, whereas most of winter non-breeding visitors are Palaearctic realm species (94.83%). Qianjiangyuan National Park harbors a rich bird community, accounting for over half (52%) of the total number of bird species in Zhejiang Province. These results confirm the park’s significant value for avian conservation, despite its small size (252 km ²), and provide important baseline information for future avian research and conservation in this region.

Key words: Qianjiangyuan National Park, bird monitoring, biodiversity inventory, baseline survey