Nest-site selection pattern of Grus japonensis in Zhalong Nature Reserve of northeast China

Abstract

Nest-site selection patterns of Red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) and the effects of environmental variables were studied during the years of 2002−2008 in Zhalong Nature Reserve, Qiqihar city, northeast China. The nest-site selection pattern of Red-crowned cranes included two orders and three choices: the choice of nest-site habitat type within the macro-habitat order, nest zone selection and nest-site micro-habitat selection within the micro-habitat order. Various habitats (such as Carex swamps and reed fire districts) can be selected as the nest sites for Red-crowned cranes, of which reed swamps (93.15%) are given a preference. Factor Analysis reveals that the micro-habitat selection are affected by four main factors: fire, security (concealment / disturbance), incubation (conditions, nest-material), and food. Further analysis reveals that Red-crowned cranes have certain adaptability to the changes of nesting habitat quality in the Zhalong wetlands. In conclusion, fire, reeds, and water were the most important variables for nest-site habitat selection of Red-crowned Cranes in Zhalong Nature Reserve.

Correlation between the Avian Community and Habitat Type during the Wintering Period in Zhalong National Nature Reserve, China

“…Species component. Species number recorded in the present study is far less than the previous record [11,12] . There are the three possible reasons.…”

“…Zhalong National Nature Reserve (Zhalong) in northeast China is a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance [3] , also an important breeding site of all kings of cranes and waterfowls. Since the 1990s, the wetland environment has degraded due to declining water levels [4,5,6] caused by natural and human disturbances, including drought, annual wildfire, reed harvest, fishing, engineering construction, and wetland conversion [7] . In 2001, Zhalong formulated water irrigation measure to supply more water to the wetland.…”

Interval-Parameter Two-Stage Stochastic Programming (IPTSP) Model of Ecological Water Replenishment Scheme in the National Nature Reserve for Improved Suitable Habitat for Rare and Endangered Migrant Birds

“…Therefore, increasing the wetland area with a water depth of 0-40 cm can increase the habitat area of large rare and endangered water birds, which is conducive to their population increase. At present, many studies on such habitats for endangered water birds such as the Siberian crane have focused mainly on the assessment of habitat suitability [26][27][28], habitat selection [24,29], habitat impact factors [5,14,18,22,30], and so on, which mainly involves studies on the existing habitats. However, there are few studies on the restoration of habitat areas based on practice.…”

Quantifying suitable dynamic water levels in marsh wetlands based on hydrodynamic modelling

“…Red‐crowned cranes prefer nesting in reed swamps rather than near settlements, roads, or in salt fields. The distance between the nesting site and road, canal, or cultivated land is generally ≥800 m and the distance between the nesting site and residential area is generally ≥2000 m (Wu & Zou, 2011; Wu et al, 2014). The distribution of lakes, in which fish inhabited during the overwintering period, were identified according to remote sensing images.…”