Arid Zone Research ›› 2024, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (3): 521-526.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2024.03.16

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles    

Bird diversity at the Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Nature Reserve in Qaidam Basin

DUO Hairui1(), Aoyunbater 2, WU Jian3, LUO Hongwei3, TONG Dexing2, KONG Fanyan2, YANG Fang4, WEI Tingting4()   

  1. 1. Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810000, Qinghai, China
    2. Qinghai Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Provincial Nature Reserve Service Center, Delingha 817000, Qinghai, China
    3. Delingha Forestry and Grassland Administration, Delingha 817099, Qinghai, China
    4. Qinghai Duomei Ecological Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Xining 810000, Qinghai, China
  • Received:2023-09-07 Revised:2023-11-29 Online:2024-03-15 Published:2024-04-01

Abstract:

The Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Nature Reserve is a key wetland that represents the only large-scale stopover site and an important habitat for migratory birds in the desert area of the Qaidam Basin, China. These birds migrate along the Central Asian-Indian migration route, which is part of the global migratory bird network. Most birds in the reserve are migratory birds. In this study, their diversity was investigated using a sample line survey and fixed points. A total of 18 families, 43 genera, and 138 species of birds were recorded, with 10 and 24 of the latter being listed as class I and class II wild species, respectively, which are protected nationwide in China. From 2019 to 2021, the number of bird species increased by 37%, with summer visitors and traveling birds increasing by 23.53% and 88.24%, respectively, which corresponded to their numbers increasing by 2.03 and 7.95 times. Summer visitors and traveling birds are important members of the bird community. The values of the Shannon-Wiener index of richness and the Pielou index of evenness for the bird community increased from 2.45 and 0.46 in 2019 to 3.64 and 0.63 in 2021, respectively. Bird diversity was shown to be high in the Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Nature Reserve, with the populations of black-necked cranes and red-crested pochards reaching the 1% population standard established for Ramsar sites. Therefore, an application for the designation of the reserve as a Ramsar site needs to be made as soon as possible. Some individuals belonging to seven bird species, including red-crested pochard and common merganser among others, survived through winter in the Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Nature Reserve. Long-term bird diversity studies should be conducted in this area.

Key words: wetland, the Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Nature Reserve, bird composition, bird diversity