🦉2024. 1.2 Wildlife Tech Lab: Significant Achievements in Bird Conservation Research in Tangjiahe Section of Giant Panda National Park

Happy New Year First of all! Over the past 10 days, I was at the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve, assisting with deploying artificial nests across the forest. This work is part of the preparation for the spring study on bird nesting behaviors and habitat preferences. In addition to setting up outdoor nests, I also worked on data analysis indoors, focusing on the reserve's previous seasons' data to examine Avian Feather Mites. Now that the new year has arrived, I’ve summarized the achievements of the reserve for last year, which I’ve outlined below.

With the development of the Giant Panda National Park, bird conservation research in the Tangjiahe section has been carried out in-depth, yielding significant results and injecting strong momentum into bird population protection and ecological balance maintenance.

As of 2020, statistics show that Tangjiahe is home to 374 bird species, representing 17 orders and 67 families. This accounts for 70.83%, 77.01%, and 49.27% of Sichuan Province's total, respectively. Among these species, 13 are nationally protected first-class birds, such as the Green-tailed Sunbird, Golden Eagle, and Grey-crowned Warbler. Additionally, 68 species are protected second-class birds, including the Golden Pheasant, Temminck's Tragopan, Blood Pheasant, Blue Eared Pheasant, Fish Owl, Thrush, and Red-billed Leiothrix. As one of the global hotspots for biodiversity conservation, Tangjiahe has always prioritized bird and habitat protection. In recent years, the reserve has focused on comprehensive research into the living conditions, habitat environments, and migration patterns of various bird species. Through scientific protection measures such as bird banding, ecological studies on the Grey-crowned Warbler, artificial nest box-based research, studies on the Green-tailed Sunbird, and "Flight Protection" activities, Tangjiahe has analyzed bird populations, distribution statuses, and the threats they face. These efforts support the development of effective conservation strategies.

Significant progress has been made with bird banding. Bird banding is a long-term, repetitive process that involves tagging birds at different altitudes, habitats, and seasons to study bird species diversity and migration patterns. Since the establishment of the "National Bird Banding Center Tangjiahe Banding Station" in 2021, bird banding has become a central part of the reserve’s bird monitoring and conservation efforts. Over nearly three years of bird banding and daily monitoring, 1,594 birds have been tagged, with 15 new bird species recorded for Tangjiahe, including the Yunnan Warbler, Sichuan Warbler, Emei Warbler, White-tailed Warbler, Grey-crowned Warbler, Valentini's Warbler, Emei Warbler, Sichuan Treecreeper, Richard's Pipit, Chestnut Bunting, Tristram's Bunting, Sichuan Ground Thrush, Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, Dark-breasted Rosefinch, and Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher. During this period, 131 bird species were captured, with 33 species recorded annually. In 2021, 18 species were recorded, in 2022, 26 species, and in 2023, 17 species, showing a clear upward trend in species accumulation. The composition of birds tagged over three years remained consistent, with passerines (Passeriformes) accounting for over 96% each year. The warbler family (Phylloscopidae) and flycatcher family (Muscicapidae) were the most diverse among passerines, while families like the laughingthrush (Leiothrichidae), tit (Paridae), and parrotbill (Paradoxornithidae) were the most numerous. Notable species included the Red-billed Leiothrix (177 individuals, 11.24%), Green-backed Tit (144 individuals, 9.15%), Grey-cheeked Fulvetta (110 individuals, 6.99%), and Brown-cheeked Parrotbill (80 individuals, 5.80%).

As bird banding has continued, Tangjiahe has recaptured banded birds. In 2022, 37 birds from 23 species were recaptured, and in 2023, 83 birds from 20 species were recaptured. By comparing records, it was found that the Red-billed Leiothrix exhibited short-distance vertical migration, while the Emei Warbler and Black-billed Warbler showed high territorial fidelity.

New progress has been made in the research on the utilization of artificial nest boxes. From 2022 to 2023, a total of 490 artificial nest boxes were installed, with 348 effective nest boxes available for use. Among these, 220 nest boxes, accounting for 63.22% of the total effective nest boxes, showed signs of use by birds, such as eggs, nestlings, or nesting materials. The main species utilizing the artificial nest boxes for breeding were the Green-backed Tit, with a small number of House Sparrows using them in the low mountain areas below an altitude of 1100 meters. Among the nest boxes with confirmed nesting species, 164 were used by the Green-backed Tit and 4 by the House Sparrow. Among these, 101 Green-backed Tit nests successfully hatched, with a success rate of 61.59%, and 90 nests had fledglings. Three House Sparrow nests successfully hatched, with a success rate of 75%, and two nests had fledglings.