Number and nest-site selection of breeding black-necked cranes over the past 40 years in the Longbao Wetland Nature Reserve, Qinghai, China

Abstract

Black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis, BNC), facing serious threats from human activities and habitat variations, is an endangered species classified as vulnerable under the revised IUCN Red List. In this article, we investigated and analyzed the population and nesting microhabitat of BNCs in the Longbao National Nature Reserve (NNR) from 1978 to 2016, and found the number of BNCs increased from 24 in 1978 to 216 in 2016. This establishment of the Longbao NNR represented the activities of protecting endangered animal species are effective. However, the land cover classification results of Landsat images showed that the marsh wetland, which was the BNC's primary habitat, decreased during 1978-2016, while artificial buildings increased, which affected the habitat of BNCs. The increase in average temperature over the past 40 years has also had an impact on the number of BNCs. BNCs preferred to nest in marsh wetlands or on islands with open water or star-like distributions through observation. The results of the principal component analysis showed that the nearest distance between nests and habitat type were the primary factors influencing nesting site selection. To protect BNC, we suggest decreasing wetland fragmentation, reducing habitat degradation and providing an undisturbed habitat.

Changes in the landscape patterns of Black‐necked Crane habitat and its correlation with their individual population numbers during the past 40 years in China

“…Due to the problem of missing and discontinuous data in some areas during the counting process, in this study, the total number of Black‐necked Cranes distributed in the breeding area of Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve of Gansu Province, Longbaotan Black‐necked Crane Nature Reserve of Qinghai Province, and Ruoerge Wetland Nature Reserve of Sichuan Province, which was within the breeding area, was used to represent the distribution of Black‐necked Cranes in the breeding area in China (minimum number), and the total number of Black‐necked Cranes distributed in the wintering area of Xundian Black‐necked Crane Reserve, Dashanbao Black‐necked Crane National Nature Reserve, Huize Black‐necked Crane National Nature Reserve and Caohai National Nature Reserve of Guizhou Province, which was included in the wintering area, was used to represent the distribution of Black‐necked Cranes in the wintering area in China (minimum number, Figure 2 ). In the statistical process, no consideration was given to whether individuals in the wintering and breeding areas were duplicated, and this paper focused only on the number of individual Black‐necked Cranes in different areas and the trend of population increase and decrease (Bishop & Li, 2002 ; Li, 1997 ; Li & Yang, 2003 ; Wei et al, 2021 ; Wu et al, 2019 ). The numbers of Black‐necked Cranes mentioned in the article are the total counted population.…”

“…Black-necked Crane distribution area in China since 1980, these records of Black-necked Crane population distribution concentrated mainly in the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau, the records of the Black-necked Crane population in Tibet were relatively the rarest (Fang et al, 2020;Lu et al, 2017;Wu et al, 2020). Therefore, counting the number of (1) increase and decrease (Bishop & Li, 2002;Li, 1997;Li & Yang, 2003;Wei et al, 2021;Wu et al, 2019). The numbers of Black-necked Cranes mentioned in the article are the total counted population.…”

Overwintering Cranes, Waders, and Shorebirds versus Ducks and Coots Showed Contrasting Long-Term Population Trends in Caohai Wetland in Guizhou Province, China

“…The growth of the wading bird population hinges on the expansion of the crane population (as depicted in Figures 2D and 4A,B). China's ratification of the Ramsar Convention in 1992 [34], coupled with global upswings in the population sizes of both black-necked cranes and common cranes as a consequence of wetland restoration and rehabilitation efforts [35][36][37], has influenced the proliferation of crane populations within Caohai. Research underscores that over 80% of cranes rely on residual crops left in arable land during the wintering phase [38,39], and the encompassing arable land offers adequate sustenance during winter.…”

The Ecological Healthcare Benefits and Influences of Plant Communities in Urban Wetland Parks

“…According to data from the World Health Statistics 2023 report, the proportion of Chinese urban and rural households that spend more than 10% of their total income and expenditures on healthcare is 24.3%, which is significantly higher than the global rate of 13.5%. Wetlands are land regions covered by water, which feature transitional ecosystems between terrestrial and aquatic environments [4,5]. Due to the constant nourishment from water, the richness and diversity of species are commonly high in wetlands.…”