The Purple Swamphen(Porphyrio porphyrio)is a rare species with an extremely small range in China.From March to June in 2005 and 2006,we investigated the nest-site selection of the Purple Swamphen in the Guangdong Haifeng Avian Natural Reserve,China.Nests were bowlshaped or shallow cups with most of them constructed in hydrophyte clusters of Scirpus tabernaemontani.Distance to road and distance to water edge were significantly different between nest sites and non-nest sites and were important for determining nesting sites based on stepwise discriminant analysis.Our results suggest restoring and protecting the extant nesting areas is essential for effective conservation of the Purple Swamphen in China.
Wetlands are critical habitats for birds.However,wetlands are being degraded at an accelerating rate due to global human activity,and a disproportionate fraction of wetland-dependent bird species are in decline.We evaluated the conservation value of a new Ramsar site,Guangdong Haifeng Wetlands,China,for birds,by comparing bird communities(using line transect data)in 3 different districts:Gongping,Dongguan Lian’anwei and Dahu.We recorded 139 species of birds,including 26 species that are protected at a national level.Dahu had the highest species richness and diversity,whereas Dongguan Lian’anwei had the highest abundance of birds and the lowest species diversity.Finally,Gongping had both the lowest species richness and the lowest abundance.The ende-mism of constituent species differed among districts,and the bird communities were complementary.There were significant seasonal differences in the species richness and the number of individuals.Spring had the highest species richness and diversity.The present study identifies the high conservation value of Haifeng Wetlands for both waterbirds and terrestrial birds.Our findings suggest that conservation efforts in Haifeng Wetlands and other wetlands should focus not only on wintering migratory birds,but also on resident birds.To accomplish effective conservation,we should consider the reserve and surrounding wetlands as a whole,incorporating ecological research,education and local economic development.
Junhua HUZhigang JIANGChunlan ZHANGFeng XIAOHuijian HU
